Community pharmacy in Malaysia

[NR1990]

As part of my 4th year project I'm comparing the use of a computer program by home students and Malaysian students at my university. The program is designed to give practice in checking prescriptions. Has anyone worked in community pharmacy in Malaysia? Any information on the similarities and differences between pharmacy in Malaysia and the UK would be appreciated. Thank you.

[johnep]

One of the Unis has a link with Malaysia. Not sure which one. Is it yours?
johnep

[jay.d]

Sunderland has links, lecturers teaching over in malaysia and they do an integrated 2 years in malaysia followed by 2 back in sunderland.

[NR1990]

I think a few of the UK unis link with Malaysia. If I don't have any luck on the internet I'll have to ask one of the Malaysian students in my year, but I was trying to avoid that in case that student is then chosen to be interviewed. They're not supposed to have much knowledge of the topic before the interview for obvious reasons. Thanks for your replies though.

[Minna Eii]

I'm from Malaysia (sort of) and I don't recall any community pharmacies I've been in having a computer at all! The ones I've been to hand write medication labels only including the indications, dose and frequency (dose as in one tablet or two not 10mg or 20mg). They dispense tablets by popping them out of blister packaging and put them individually in a plastic envelope!! and they charge patients PER TABLET!!

But majority of Malaysians are good with computers in general. It's 2 years since I've been home so not sure if that's changed but I highly doubt it....

[johnep]

Standard practice in private scripts is to charge per tablet and add dispensing fee.
johnep

[Tony Schofield]

Presumably you were offered this project by a tutor? It's hardly a subject that springs to mind. How does your tutor think you should approach this? A couple of months in Singapore where the day finishes in Harrys' bar doesn't look like the sort of project that a university could fund, even on £9k fees!

[NR1990]

I'm from Malaysia (sort of) and I don't recall any community pharmacies I've been in having a computer at all! The ones I've been to hand write medication labels only including the indications, dose and frequency (dose as in one tablet or two not 10mg or 20mg). They dispense tablets by popping them out of blister packaging and put them individually in a plastic envelope!! and they charge patients PER TABLET!!

But majority of Malaysians are good with computers in general. It's 2 years since I've been home so not sure if that's changed but I highly doubt it....

Thanks for your reply, that's really useful. How does the instruction come from the doctor? Is it a written prescription?

Presumably you were offered this project by a tutor? It's hardly a subject that springs to mind. How does your tutor think you should approach this? A couple of months in Singapore where the day finishes in Harrys' bar doesn't look like the sort of project that a university could fund, even on £9k fees!

Yeah I was given it. We'll be conducting the research using semi-structured interviews with students on my course. The project is on a program that was developed at my uni and my supervisor was involved so every year her students evaluate its use. Pharmacy in Malaysia isn't directly relevant but because the purpose of the program is to practice checking prescriptions we need to address the issue that home students may be more familiar with the forms than the Malaysian cohorts. It's really just so I know what questions to ask in the interviews and can justify asking about experience of community pharmacy in the UK over Malaysia.

[Minna Eii]

Assuming things haven't change since I last been back, prescriptions can only be dispensed in hospital pharmacies and pharmacy located at doctor's surgeries. In ordinary community pharmacies the pharmacists recommend and sell drugs to patients who come in with an issue. Yes the technicians will have to decipher the doctor's handwritings. The only times computers are used is to generate labels. I'm from Sunderland we have a twinning program with SEGI students over Malaysia if you have any more questions just holla I'll find out the answers for ya.

[Tony Schofield]

Duplication due to poor IT skills