Community pharmacists' experiences regarding the treatment management of people with diabetes during Ramadan: A phenomenological study

Abstract

Background: Community pharmacists are often the first point of contact for patients seeking assistance in managing chronic diseases, including diabetes, owing to their accessibility. They are readily available to patients, especially in outpatient settings, and can play a vital role in ensuring safe medication use in patients with diabetes. However, published research on the role of community pharmacists in managing diabetes in patients fasting during Ramadan in Türkiye and worldwide is limited.

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the perspectives and experiences of Turkish community pharmacists in providing treatment management for people with diabetes during Ramadan.

Methods: To obtain in-depth information about community pharmacists' experiences and perspectives regarding the treatment management of patients with diabetes during Ramadan, a qualitative methodology was chosen for data collection, which could not be obtained using quantitative methods. To gather the views of community pharmacists, a carefully designed semi-structured interview guide was developed to conduct the qualitative interviews. Following the transcription and translation processes, interpretive phenomenological analysis was conducted as an integral part of the data analysis.

Results: A total of 21 pharmacists participated in this study. Three main themes, along with their corresponding subthemes, emerged from the dataset: Advice from pharmacists to patients, challenges, and recommendations. The study revealed the professional services pharmacists provided and the barriers they encountered, and documented the recommendations they put forward regarding diabetes treatment management.

Conclusion: Pharmacists reported providing diabetes-related services during Ramadan, such as dietary advice, medication adjustments, and dietitian referrals. However, they identified several significant challenges, including increased workload, patients' religious beliefs, and limited public awareness of their expertise. To address these, expanding pharmacists' roles, improving communication with patients and physicians, and incorporating Ramadan-specific diabetes management into pharmacy education are seen as key strategies for enhancing care.