Knowledge, attitudes, and practices regarding COVID-19 among pharmacists partnering with community residents: A national survey in Japan

Background Community pharmacists play an important role in reducing COVID-19-related secondary health problems. However, the knowledge, attitudes, and practices (KAP) regarding COVID-19 among pharmacists in Japan have not yet been elucidated. Methods We conducted a web-based questionnaire survey among 1,137 pharmacists working in health support pharmacies (HSPs) in Japan. These pharmacists are responsible for providing health consultations to community residents. We assessed COVID-19-related KAP among pharmacists and compared the results for two age groups: ≤49 years and ≥50 years. We used multiple regression analysis to examine which factors influence KAP scores regarding COVID-19. Results From among the 2,141 HSPs in Japan, a total of 1,137 pharmacists, each representing a different HSP, responded to the survey. The results indicated that since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, pharmacists have been providing consultations about COVID-19 to local residents, covering topics such as “Effective infection prevention methods” (60.6%) and “What the COVID-19 pandemic would be” (48.8%). Importantly, 73.5% of the pharmacists felt they “did not have enough information about COVID-19.” The main information resources about COVID-19 were Internet (91.2%) and television (78.9%). Across all respondents, the mean knowledge score (4.17/10) was lower than the mean scores for attitudes (7.26/10) and practices (5.79/10). Multiple regression analysis showed that having enough information about COVID-19 was a factor strongly associated with total KAP scores ( p <0.001; 95% confidence interval, −1.344 to −0.540). Conclusions Pharmacists working in community pharmacies provide residents with information related to COVID-19. In this role as a health partner, these pharmacists need a way to strengthen and expand their knowledge, and moreover, their ability to support community residents. Learning more about the available academic and scientific information, as well as having access to accurate epidemiological information, can offer a means of reaching these goals.