By: Chidinma Omereji
Malaria is a life-threatening disease caused by the parasite Plasmodium falciparum, which is transmitted to people through the bites of infected female Anopheles mosquitoes (WHO, 2020a). Although it may be life-threatening, malaria is preventable and curable. At the 60th session of the World Health Assembly, it was proposed that Africa Malaria Day be changed to World Malaria Day in order to identify the existence of malaria in all countries and to raise global awareness of malaria.
World Malaria Day is an international day marked on the 25th of April to raise awareness of the global effort to control and ultimately eradicate malaria. This year, the theme of World Malaria Day is “Zero malaria starts with me.” It is aimed at prioritizing malaria on political agendas, mobilizing resources, and empowering communities to take ownership of malaria prevention and care (WHO, 2020).
In 2018, there were an estimated 228 million cases of malaria worldwide and 405,000 deaths, with children under five years-old being the most vulnerable group affected (WHO, 2020b). As key players in the healthcare system, pharmacists are inherently tasked with improving health outcomes via practical and effective measures. Young pharmacists may improve the outcomes of the malaria epidemics by focusing on three key areas: education, intervention, and monitoring.
Education of oneself, patients, and other healthcare professionals has been well-documented as a major driver of successful interventions. It is an approach that mandates young pharmacists to invest time and resources in improving their knowledge of malaria. Proper self-education can be achieved by staying up-to-date with reports from the WHO and other reputable avenues for disease reporting, peer-based learning, and laboratory analyses of malaria.
Self-education paves the path towards patient education, which is a crucial part of pharmaceutical care. Young pharmacists are required by oath to provide patients with adequate information about their medications, disease state, and other good health practices. This patient education may be accomplished via one-on-one counseling, group-based education, and media utilization including writing and social media. Group-based education is particularly effective in less reachable regions and during world health days designated by the United Nations.
Another benefit of self-education is interprofessional education. Armed with an arsenal of current and accurate information on the malaria epidemic, young pharmacists can collaborate with and educate other health professionals involved in treating malaria. These approaches potentially result in improved patient awareness and positive health outcomes.
Medication-based interventions for young pharmacists involved in malaria care plans depend on their area of practice. Intervention is a critical step that is preceded by education on both the patient and disease state. First, effective interventions require data. Pharmacists in the hospital and community fields — as well as other areas involving direct patient communication — must collect and save data on infection rates, recovery rates, drug usage, adverse drug reactions, and other relevant data.
Data drives decision making, particularly in cases requiring urgent attention. When made available, data can accelerate intervention rates and improve outcomes. Collected data plays a huge role in the practice of other healthcare professionals, as it informs health institutional practices, research, and quality improvement. Young pharmacists may utilize available data for suggesting medication substitutions and developing improved drugs in research settings.
Monitoring and evaluating the impact of interventions is a crucial step in most project design. Available data may be analyzed to track changes in patients’ adherence, response to medication, and disease prevalence rate. Impact may also be monitored via the use of questionnaires and individual patient analysis during one-on-one patient counseling.
Overall, effective interventions for the malaria epidemic require a healthy collaboration between healthcare professionals. Young pharmacists are implored to take a stand via self-education. They must foster patient education and interprofessional education; collect, save, and utilize accurate patient and disease data; and monitor the impact of their education and interventions.
References
World Health Organization. (2020a). Malaria. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/malaria
World Health Organization. (2020b). World Malaria Day 2020. Retrieved from: https://www.who.int/news-room/campaigns/world-malaria-day/world-malaria-day-2020
