Activity 1.3.3: Compare and Contrast types of research and paradigms

Mukattash, T. L., Jarab, A. S., Gharaibeh, W. H., Abu-Farha, R. K., Nusair, M. B. & Daghash, R. 2020. Pharmaceutical care in children, an exploratory study of parental experiences in Jordan. International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 42, 1145-1152.

Pharmaceutical care is a patient-centred, outcomes-oriented pharmacy practice that requires the pharmacist to work in concert with the patient and the patient’s other healthcare providers to promote health, prevent disease, and assess, monitor, initiate, and modify medication utilised to assure that drug therapy regimens are safe and effective. Paediatric patients are all children until the age of 18.

The goal of pharmaceutical care is to optimize the patient’s health and achieve positive clinical outcomes through realistic economic expenditure. In the last two decades, pharmaceutical care has been proven to improve patient’s quality of life and minimise healthcare costs. It focuses on providing direct care and communication between pharmacists and paediatric patients.

Paediatric care requires different health professionals within the healthcare system to work together with the patients. It is a myriad of health services working together to improve the health outcomes of patients.

Challenges facing paediatric pharmaceutical care is the limited data about the safety and efficacy of medication for the paediatric population. There is also a lack of appropriate and commercially available dosage forms and concentrations such as dosing calculations based on weight. Patients face limited capacity to communicate their symptoms, responses to therapy, and possible adverse reactions to drugs.

The study has asserted the need for baseline knowledge in paediatric pharmaceutical care to adequately care for paediatric patients and counsel their families. The study reported that final-year pharmacy students had low levels of self-efficacy to provide appropriate care for paediatric patients, such as applicable recommendations during basic case scenarios, counselling paediatric patients and their parents, or calculate accurate drug dosages. The combined effect of low self-efficay levels and the lack of baseline knowledge will have negative consequences on paediatric pharmaceutical care and treatment efficacy and safety.

The Aim:

This study fills a knowledge gap because there is no previous studies that outline parents perceptions and needs regarding paediatric pharmaceutical care. The study also aim to explore parent’s experiences of the paediatric pharmaceutical services provided to their children.

Method:

A draft questionnaire was drafted following a literature review on paediatric and pharmaceutical care. The draft questionnaire was adjusted following the contribution of 8 parents and tested for a final time. The questionnaire was tested for validity and any concerns were addressed.

What is the aim of the research:

The research aims to outline parents' perceptions and needs regarding paediatric pharmaceutical care in Jordan. It also aims to explore parent’s experiences of the paediatric pharmaceutical services provided to their children.

What is the type of research that was conducted? Highlight the characteristics in the article that makes you think it is this type of research:

The study conducted in this paper is exploratory research. Before this study, Parental perceptions, experiences, and their needs regarding paediatric pharmaceutical care services in community pharmacies in Jordan had never been done before. uncovered

The study conducted in this paper is a descriptive, cross-sectional survey. This survey sought to collect data from a variety of parents who belonged to four different Facebook parental groups over a period of five months. The survey was designed to assess parental needs for paediatric pharmaceutical care services and explore their current experiences with pharmaceutical services provided to their children.

What is the paradigm of research for the article? Provide a justification for your answer:

This research paper falls under basic research because its goal is an expansion of knowledge/theory, i.e. Jordan's parents’ perceptions of paediatric pharmaceutical care and service and their current experience in this regard. This knowledge didn’t exist before this research. It fills a theoretical gap because, through the insight of this research, we now have a more complete understanding of paediatric and pharmaceutical services and care. Furthermore, the knowledge uncovered here can be the basis of applied research that will attempt to increase the baseline knowledge of paediatric and pharmaceutical care and services in Jordan.

This research could also be an epidemiological study because it investigates possible causes and patterns of health-related events and the environmental and cultural conditions in which they occur. Because there is evidence that safe and efficient pharmaceutical care results in better treatment outcomes, the results of this research shed some light on where action can be taken to improve the delivery of pharmaceutical care and services. Specifically, it suggests improved paediatric pharmaceutical care and services can begin at the education levels (undergraduate and postgraduate) and the professional level to improve the knowledge base and self-efficacy of paediatricians and pharmacists.