{
  "abstract": "Introduction Approximately 2.8 million school days are lost annually due to asthma; the most common long-term condition in primary school aged children in the UK. 1 Allergy UK2 estimate that 20% of severe allergic reactions occur in schools, leading to missed school days and increased healthcare costs.3 This study investigated UK pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions (KAP) and perceived level of their confidence, education, training and knowledge of medicines management for children with respiratory conditions. Pharmacists’ determinants of KAP, including years of experience, independent prescriber status, area of practice, parental status, perceived ease/difficulty in prescribing and administering medicines within a school environment, including evaluating pharmacist awareness of Department of Education national guidance for supporting pupils with medical conditions at school.4 Methods A cross-sectional, anonymised questionnaire was distributed to UK pharmacists via social media and professional networks over a two-week data collection period. This method enabled wider participation from pharmacists working in primary care, community, hospital, academic and industry settings. Quantitative data was obtained using Likert scale questions which were statistically analysed including Kruskal-Wallis, Mann-Whitney U and Chi-squared tests, and free text responses allowed thematic analysis.Results A total of 87 questionnaire responses were analysed. More than half of respondents were parents of children who were currently attending or had previously attended primary school (54%, n=47). The majority of respondents worked in community pharmacy (35.6%, n=31). Pharmacists demonstrated strong confidence in counselling parents of school aged children for medicines used in the management of allergies and asthma, but lower confidence in school policy development around medicines management. Over half of pharmacists reported minimal or no training on medicines management within schools as part of their pharmacy education (55%, n=48). The majority of pharmacists were unaware of the statutory Department of Education national guidance 4 (75%, n=65). Parental status significantly enhanced pharmacists’ KAP (p<0.001). Independent pharmacist prescribers demonstrated significantly greater confidence in training school staff (p=0.024), suggesting that their role-specific expertise equips them with the skills necessary to take on training and advisory roles within schools. Parent/caregiver status emerged as the most significant determinant of pharmacists’ knowledge and confidence across all domains (p<0.05). Thematic analysis revealed key themes including a lack of remuneration and insufficient training for pharmacists to support schools within their current job role. This implies that personal experiences enhance perceived competence in paediatric medicines management suggesting their parent/caregiver roles may compensate for training gaps in their pharmacy education.Conclusion In practice, pharmacists’ theoretical knowledge and confidence in practice contrasts with their unawareness of statutory guidance, a disconnect which demands urgent reform. Addressing financial and policy-related challenges could enable pharmacists to have integrated roles within schools; an area overlooked in existing research and policy. These study findings provide a foundation for sustainable change and policy development, including changes to existing pharmacy education curricula. It is envisaged that future research could investigate the effectiveness of pharmacist training interventions. Further work could explore the KAP of stakeholders including school staff and parents of school aged children with respiratory conditions.References Buelo A, McLean S, Julious S, et al. At-risk children with asthma (ARC): a systematic review. Thorax 2018;73:813–824.Allergy UK. Information and advice for schools helping to safeguard pupils living with allergy [Internet]. 2024 [cited 2025 Jun 02]. Available from: https://www.allergyuk.org/living-with-an-allergy/at-school/for-schools/Kennedy CT, Scotland GS, Cotton S, et al. Direct and indirect costs of paediatric asthma in the UK: a cost analysis. Archives of Diseases in Childhood 2024;109:724–729.Department of Education. Supporting pupils at school with medical conditions: Statutory guidance for governing bodies of maintained schools and proprietors of academies in England [Internet]. 2015 [cited 2025 Jun 02]. Available from: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/supporting-pupils-at-school-with-medical-conditions--3",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "De Montfort University, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Beenal Rajyaguru"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "De Montfort University, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Isha Hussain"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P51 Pharmacists’ knowledge, attitudes and perceptions towards respiratory medicines use within primary schools",
  "uid": "66fbd162-567a-5f65-aa1c-e07ac3aff895"
}