Management of Minor Ailments by Community Pharmacists in Cebu, Philippines – An Exploratory Study

Background. Community pharmacists play a central role in the management of minor ailments and their clinicalknowledge is vital in improving treatment outcomes of these ailments. The provision of minor ailment servicein developed countries has been successful yet the practice in the Philippines has not been documented. Objectives. The aim of this study was to document the involvement of community pharmacists in the managementof minor ailments, the practices, and the perceived challenges in the provision of pharmacy service. Methods. This was an exploratory descriptive study. Using qualitative research technique, a guided interviewquestionnaire was employed for data gathering. The practices employed and perceived challenges encounteredby pharmacists were interpreted using conventional content analysis. Results. Colds, cough, skin allergy, diarrhea were the four most common ailments managed by communitypharmacists. Pharmacists had underdeveloped roles in consultation. Community pharmacists were knowledgeableon the causes of the minor ailments and the medications dispensed were compliant with approved productindications. The absence of institutional guidelines (66%), lack of ailment-specific training (100%), insufficientclinical skills (76.7%), and a dominant patient self-selection behavior for OTC medicines (73.3%) were perceived aschallenges in the provision of minor ailment services. Conclusion. Community pharmacists managed common ailments with non-prescription medicines howeverconsultation roles were found to be underdeveloped.