Knowledge, attitude and practice of community pharmacy personnel in tuberculosis patient detection: a multicentre cross-sectional study in a high-burden tuberculosis setting

Introduction Control of tuberculosis (TB) is hampered by suboptimal case detection and subsequent delays in treatment, which is worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. The community pharmacy is reported as the place for first aid medication among patients with TB. We, therefore, analysed knowledge, attitude and practice (KAP) on TB patient detection (TBPD) of community pharmacy personnel, aiming to find innovative strategies to engage community pharmacies in TBPD.
Methods A multicentre cross-sectional study was performed in four areas of Indonesia’s eastern, central and western parts. Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians who worked in community pharmacies were assessed for their characteristics and KAP related to TBPD. Descriptive analysis was used to assess participant characteristics and their KAP, while multivariable regression analyses were used to analyse factors associated with the KAP on TBPD.
Results A total of 1129 participants from 979 pharmacies, comprising pharmacists (56.6%) and pharmacy technicians (43.4%), were included. Most participants knew about TB. However, knowledge related to TB symptoms, populations at risk and medication for TB were still suboptimal. Most participants showed a positive attitude towards TBPD. They believed in their professional role (75.1%), capacity in TB screening (65.4%) and responsibility for TBPD (67.4%). Nevertheless, a lack of TBPD practice was identified in most participants.