Evaluation of pharmacist’s practices regarding pediatric diarrhea management therapy: A simulated patient study

Pharmacist’s are expected to provide patients with relevant drug information services. The patient simulation method can be used to investigate the quality of pharmacists drug information provision to patients and their selection of medicine therapy for managing diarrhea in children. This study aimed to analyze the profile of drug information services and recommendations for pediatric diarrhea therapy by pharmacists in pharmacies in Malang, East Java Province, Indonesia, using the patient simulation method. The study is a descriptive observational study using the patient simulation method. The sample was pharmacists in some pharmacies in Malang, East Java Province, Indonesia, who were selected using a convenience sampling technique. The instruments used were pediatric diarrhea scenarios, a drug information service profile data collection form, and a pharmacist recommendation form for pediatric diarrhea therapy. The data were analyzed descriptively. A total of 92 community pharmacies were visited by the simulated patients. The majority of pharmacists asked for information about the patient’s age (86.96%), recommended single adsorbent therapy (22.83%) and provided information about how to use the medicines (93.46%). Not all pharmacists performed a complete and appropriate medicine search. Community pharmacists require training in pediatric diarrhea information services in order to enhance their knowledge and application of pediatric diarrhea drug information services.