Factors affecting community pharmacist's service for women with chronic diseases during pregnancy and breastfeeding: Application of the Health Belief Model

Pharmacists are known as health care professionals who are responsible for the safety and efficacy of medicine to achieve optimal therapeutic results. Community pharmacists have an opportunity to provide direct services including giving an active medication information service in women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. This study aimed to determine the factors associated with the practice of community pharmacists for actively giving the drug information service for women with chronic diseases during pregnancy and breastfeeding based on the Health Belief Model. About 300 community pharmacists were randomly chosen to participate in the study. All participants were asked to complete questionnaires that were designed based on the theory of the Health Belief Models. The questionnaires measured the community pharmacists' knowledge, beliefs, cues to action, and practice for actively giving medication information services. About 267 pharmacists in the community agreed to participate in this study. Nearly 80% of the participants were female pharmacists (n = 213). The results show that pharmacists' knowledge had significant influences towards perceived threat (p = 0.009), perceived benefit (p = 0.011), and pharmacists' self-efficacy (p < 0.001). The self-efficacy factor was the most influential factor in the practice of pharmacists to give medication information service actively (p < 0.001). The findings of the study indicate that self-efficacy is the most important factor for pharmacist to be able to provide the medication information services successfully particularly in women during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Providing continuous learning programs through seminars and training related to medication use during pregnancy and breastfeeding to pharmacists is needed to optimise the confidence and the ability of pharmacists in providing the services.