title: The role of community pharmacies in counseling of personal medical devices and drug-delivery products in Estonia.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the current situation on medical technology at community pharmacies in Estonia, looking into the availability, dispensing and counseling of personal medical devices/drug-delivery products (PMDs/DDPs) and related professional knowledge of community pharmacists.
  
  
  METHODS
  A descriptive cross-sectional questionnaire-based study using an internet-based eFormular study platform.
  
  
  RESULTS
  In total, 137 community pharmacies responded to the study. Of the pharmacies, 51.8% dispensed and 32.1% counseled PMDs/DDPs several times a day. 55.4% of the respondents assessed their professional knowledge on PMDs/DDPs as good to medium and 44.6% as satisfactory to poor. Of the respondents, 79.6% reported a need for systematic education about named devices.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Community pharmacies are a frequent source for the dispensing and counseling of PMDs/DDPs in Estonia. However, community pharmacists admitted a strong need for continuing education about general and practical aspects related to the use of PMDs/DDPs for the provision of more professional services in the future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tartu, Tartu, Estonia.
authors.forename: Daisy
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Volmer
authors.forename: Tagne
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ratassepp
authors.forename: Alina
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Shagandina
authors.forename: Juha
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Turunen
authors.forename: Riitta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Ahonen
authors.forename: Jyrki
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Heinämäki
mesh_terms: D037001:Directive Counseling; D016503:Drug Delivery Systems; D004957:Estonia; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D008297:Male; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010594:Pharmacies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: community pharmacies; counseling; drug-delivery product; personal medical device