Lio, Ee Lee, Maharajan, Mari Kannan, and Rajiah, Kingston (2025) Perspectives of Malaysian community pharmacists on challenges and barriers to smoking cessation programme: a qualitative study. International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 33 (1). pp. 58-63.

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Abstract

Objectives: Smoking remains a significant public health concern, necessitating effective smoking cessation interventions. This study explores the barriers community pharmacists face in delivering smoking cessation services in Malaysia and potential solutions to improve their contribu- tion to public health. Methods: This qualitative study employed purposive and snowball sampling to recruit community pharmacists in Malaysia. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, exploring pharmacists’ perspectives on barriers, counselling approaches, follow-up strategies, and opinions on smoking cessation services. Thematic analysis was employed to identify key themes and sub-themes. Key findings: Three main themes emerged from the data analysis: barriers, counselling and enhancing follow-up, and pharmacists’ opinions on professional fees. Under the theme of barriers, sub-themes included underutilization by the public, poor follow-up by customers, time constraints, lack of educational materials and support, and customer perception. The counselling and enhancing follow-up theme encompassed shared decision-making, motivational intervention, follow-up via phone calls or messaging apps, and providing rebate vouchers. Pharmacists’ opinions on professional fees revealed mixed perspectives, with some advocating for fees to recognize the professional service provided, while others expressed concerns about access barriers. Conclusions: Community pharmacists face challenges in delivering smoking cessation services, such as underutilization, poor follow-up, time constraints, and affordability. However, strategies like shared decision-making and proactive communication can enhance effectiveness. Addressing professional fees and collaborative efforts are essential to optimising these services.

Item ID:	91266
Item Type:	Article (Research - C1)
ISSN:	2042-7174
Copyright Information:	© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Date Deposited:	20 Apr 2026 23:05
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