ABSTRACT Introduction: The COVID-19 Antigen Rapid Test Kit (self-test) has been a critical tool in Malaysia’s public health response, approved by the Ministry of Health… Read More »Public’s Willingness to Pay for COVID-19 Self-Test Kits in Malaysia: A Web-Based Survey
Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic that imposed movement control order, most patient had difficulties in collecting the medication. Therefore, drive-thru pharmacy was perceived as the safer and most convenient option to minimal the infection risks. This study aimed to assess the perception and opinion of the pharmacy staffs about the necessities of drive-thru pharmacy service during COVID-19 pandemic. A cross-sectional study was conducted in one of the university teaching hospitals in Malaysia, from February to May 2022. The respondents were among staffs in various pharmacy units. The staff perceptions and opinion of drive-thru pharmacy in preventing the spread of infectious diseases in the community was determined using descriptive analysis while the open-ended question was analyzed thematically. All (n=109) respondents positively acknowledge the importance of drive-thru pharmacy in reducing the risk of virus infection. The staff agreed that drive-thru service is helpful for patients who are busy with their daily routine (n=103; 94.5%), reduces patients’ waiting time for picking up their medications and perceived that drive-thru Services are useful for senior citizen or caretaker (n=95; 87.2%). In conclusion, although 89 (82.0%) of the respondents highlighted the importance of drive-thru service especially during the spike of the COVID-19 pandemic, thirteen respondents (12.0%) raised hesitate to agree with the implementation of this service due to issue of manpower and satisfied with the existing pharmacy value added services (PVAS) at the hospital. Therefore, re-evaluation of the needs of drive-thru pharmacy during COVID-19 pandemic based on the patients and caregivers’ perception should be conducted in future
Introduction: Following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic in early 2020, the traditional face-to-face delivery moved to online distance learning (ODL). New to the university’s online learning environment are the first-year students. This study explores perceptions and experiences of the first-year undergraduate pharmacy students learning via the ODL mode during the Covid-19 pandemic. Objective: This study aims to gain an understanding of the students’ learning issues and concerns during ODL. Method: Students’ responses were collected and analysed using thematic analysis. Result: The findings revealed three broad themes of learning issues and concerns during ODL: (1) adapting to online distance learning mode, (2) feeling overwhelmed and increased stress, and (3) support and guidance during online learning. The results indicate the need for enhanced teaching and social presences during ODL. Conclusion: Adapting to ODL seems to take longer time than expected for the first-year pharmacy students. It appears that they struggled to manage their lives and studies in remote learning, thus requiring more support and direct instruction.
The outbreak of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS) coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2), has infected and killed millions of people worldwide. It has substantially increased the burden on healthcare system. However, the optimal approach to treatment of COVID-19 is uncertain. “Off-label” use of lopinavir/ritonavir (LPV/r) and interferons, particularly interferon beta (IFN-β), were the most suggested at the early stage. Although the United States National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) COVID-19 guidelines do not recommend the use of both medications for the treatment of COVID-19 in hospitalized patients, their roles in patients with non-severe disease are still unclear. Macau, a famous city for tourism, had 46 COVID-19 confirmed cases as of 2020. In this retrospective review, we summarized clinical and laboratory features of 39 COVID-19 patients admitted in the Centro Hospitalar Conde de São Januário (CHCSJ), of whom all did not receive oxygen therapy or ventilatory support during hospitalization. Of note, 12 (30.8%) of them were asymptomatic. The most common symptoms were fever and cough upon admission. They were all treated with LPV/r ± IFN-β-1b plus supportive care. The mean length of hospitalization was 26.6 (SD ± 12.6) days with LPV/r monotherapy, whereas 27.8 (SD ± 10.1) days with LPV/r/IFN-β-1b combination therapy (p=0.65). The percentage of 28-day negative results for polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test were 67.9% (19 of 28) with monotherapy and 63.6% (7 of 11) with combination therapy (p=0.80). No fatal case was reported and all patients discharged successfully. No beneficial clinical outcome was observed with the addition of IFN-β-1b to LPV/r-based therapy. Further studies are warranted to confirm these findings.