Prescribing by pharmacists is an increasingly common practice worldwide. In Brazil regulation of this practice began in 2013, and the practice remains unexplored as a research topic. We aimed to explore and gain insights into pharmacist prescribing practices in Brazil and assessing pharmacist's perceptions of their training and preparedness to prescribe medications. A cross-sectional survey was conducted between October 2022 and March 2023 via convenience sampling. Data were collected using an online questionnaire covering sociodemographic issues, academic training, prescribing practices, and perceptions regarding the provision of pharmacist prescribing in ambulatory care. Exploratory descriptive analysis and Poisson regression were performed to estimate the associations between pharmacist characteristics and their practices in prescribing medicines. Among the 305 valid responses, 58.7% of the outpatient pharmacists stated that they had not prescribed any medication in the previous three years. Over-the-counter medication prescriptions were most common (42.0%). Only 4.6% of respondents had prescribed prescription-only medicines provided through collaborative agreement, with 2.6% reporting that they had adjusted doses, and 2.3% played a role in prescription renewal. Pharmacists living in Northeast regions tended to be more active prescribers (PR = 1.42; 95%CI 1.03–2.18), whereas those in primary healthcare (PR = 0.61; 95%CI 0.39–0.96) and self-declared Black pharmacists (PR = 0.30; 95%CI 0.10–0.97) prescribed less. Respondents strongly believed in the pharmacist's role as a prescriber, although they remained ambivalent regarding their responsibility for patient outcomes. Progress barriers include infrastructure gaps and strained relationships with physicians. This study suggests that pharmacists in Brazil predominantly prescribe over-the-counter medications, and variations in setting, region, and race can influence prescribing by pharmacist in ambulatory care.

中文翻译：

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药剂师处方实施情况评估：门诊实践的挑战和途径


由药剂师开处方在世界范围内越来越普遍。巴西于 2013 年开始对这种做法进行监管，但这种做法仍未作为一个研究课题进行探索。我们的目的是探索和深入了解巴西药剂师的处方实践，并评估药剂师对其培训和处方药物准备情况的看法。 2022 年 10 月至 2023 年 3 月期间通过便利抽样进行了横断面调查。使用在线调查问卷收集数据，涵盖社会人口学问题、学术培训、处方实践以及对流动护理中药剂师处方的看法。进行探索性描述性分析和泊松回归来估计药剂师特征与其处方药物实践之间的关联。在305份有效回复中，58.7%的门诊药师表示，过去三年没有开过任何药。非处方药处方最常见（42.0%）。只有 4.6% 的受访者开过通过合作协议提供的处方药，2.6% 的受访者表示他们调整了剂量，2.3% 的受访者在处方更新中发挥了作用。居住在东北地区的药剂师往往是更积极的处方者（PR = 1.42；95%CI 1.03–2.18），而初级医疗保健人员（PR = 0.61；95%CI 0.39–0.96）和自称的黑人药剂师（PR = 0.30；95%CI 0.10–0.97) 处方较少。受访者坚信药剂师作为处方者的角色，尽管他们对于药剂师对患者结果的责任仍持矛盾态度。进展障碍包括基础设施差距和与医生的紧张关系。 这项研究表明，巴西的药剂师主要开非处方药，环境、地区和种族的差异可能会影响药剂师在门诊护理中的处方。