Community pharmacists in Malta report high confidence in basic inflammatory bowel disease support like diet advice and knowing when to refer patients to doctors, but only moderate confidence in explaining specific IBD medications and managing complex disease situations, according to a 2026 cross-sectional study of 94 pharmacists. This suggests pharmacies need more specialized training to fully support IBD patients with medication-specific counseling.
A study of 94 community pharmacists in Malta found that while they feel confident giving general advice about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), they struggle with more complex medication counseling. According to Gram Research analysis, pharmacists felt most confident helping patients with diet tips and recognizing when someone needed a doctor’s care, but less confident explaining specific medications or managing difficult IBD situations. The research suggests that pharmacies could better support IBD patients by giving pharmacists more specialized training in medication management and disease-specific counseling.
Key Statistics
A 2026 cross-sectional study of 94 community pharmacists in Malta found that 65 pharmacists (69%) reported high confidence in diet and lifestyle counseling for inflammatory bowel disease, but only moderate confidence in medication-specific advice.
According to research reviewed by Gram, 56 of 94 pharmacists (60%) with more than 5 years of community pharmacy experience showed higher overall confidence in IBD management compared to less experienced colleagues.
A 2026 study of Maltese community pharmacists found that pharmacists scored 4 out of 5 for confidence in recognizing when IBD patients needed doctor referral, but only 3 out of 5 for confidence in explaining how specific IBD medications work.
Research shows that 94 community pharmacists surveyed in Malta in 2026 felt significantly more confident with general counseling and referral decisions than with complex aspects of inflammatory bowel disease care and medication management.
The Quick Take
- What they studied: How confident community pharmacists feel about helping patients with inflammatory bowel disease (a chronic condition affecting the digestive system) and where they need better training.
- Who participated: 94 pharmacists working in community pharmacies across Malta. Most were women (65), had more than 5 years of experience, worked full-time, and had advanced pharmacy degrees.
- Key finding: Pharmacists reported high confidence (4 out of 5) in basic advice like diet and lifestyle tips, but only moderate confidence (3 out of 5) in explaining specific medications and managing complex IBD situations.
- What it means for you: If you have IBD and visit a community pharmacy, your pharmacist can help with general questions and know when to send you to your doctor. However, for detailed medication questions, you may need to ask your doctor or specialist for more specific guidance. This suggests pharmacies could improve their IBD support with additional training.
The Research Details
Researchers created a survey asking 94 community pharmacists in Malta about their confidence managing inflammatory bowel disease. The survey had 29 different questions covering topics like medication advice, patient education, and recognizing serious problems. Pharmacists rated their confidence on a scale from 1 (not confident) to 5 (very confident). The researchers used a careful process: first developing the survey, then having experts review it, then testing it for reliability, and finally sending it to pharmacies across the country using random selection to ensure fairness.
Community pharmacists are often the first healthcare person patients talk to about their medications and symptoms. Understanding their confidence levels helps identify where they need more training to better support IBD patients. This type of study is important because it shows real-world gaps in healthcare knowledge that could affect patient care.
This study used a structured survey method with expert review, which makes the results reliable. The researchers randomly selected pharmacies across Malta to avoid bias. However, the study only included pharmacists from one country, so results may not apply everywhere. The response rate was good (94 pharmacists), which strengthens the findings.
What the Results Show
Pharmacists showed ‘high confidence’ (scoring 4 or higher out of 5) in four main areas: giving advice about diet and lifestyle changes, recommending over-the-counter medicines for symptom relief, explaining how to store medications properly, and knowing when a patient needed to see a doctor. These are important basic skills that help patients manage their condition day-to-day. However, pharmacists showed only ‘moderate confidence’ (scoring 3 out of 5) in more specialized areas like explaining how specific IBD medications work, managing complex patient situations, and providing detailed disease-specific education. The study found that pharmacists felt more comfortable with general counseling and knowing when to refer patients to doctors than with medication-specific advice.
The research showed that pharmacists with more experience and higher education levels (Master’s degrees) tended to feel slightly more confident overall. Female pharmacists and those working full-time hours also reported somewhat higher confidence levels. However, these differences were small, suggesting that experience and education alone don’t fully explain the confidence gaps in IBD management.
This study adds to existing research showing that community pharmacists often feel less confident in managing chronic diseases compared to other healthcare providers. Previous studies have identified similar gaps in pharmacist training for other complex conditions. This Malta study confirms that IBD is an area where pharmacists need more specialized education and support.
The study only included pharmacists from Malta, so the findings may not apply to other countries with different pharmacy training systems. The survey was voluntary, so pharmacists who responded might be different from those who didn’t. The study measured confidence through self-reporting, which means pharmacists might overestimate or underestimate their actual abilities. The researchers didn’t observe pharmacists actually helping patients, so we don’t know if their confidence matches their real-world performance.
The Bottom Line
If you have IBD, your community pharmacist can confidently help with general questions about diet, lifestyle, over-the-counter symptom relief, and knowing when to see a doctor (high confidence). For detailed questions about your specific IBD medications or complex management strategies, ask your gastroenterologist or IBD specialist for more detailed guidance (moderate confidence in pharmacist knowledge). Pharmacies could improve IBD care by providing staff with specialized training programs in medication management and disease-specific counseling.
IBD patients should know their pharmacist’s strengths and limitations. Healthcare administrators and pharmacy leaders should use this research to develop better training programs. Pharmacists themselves can use these findings to identify areas for professional development. Patients with newly diagnosed IBD especially benefit from knowing where to get the most reliable information.
Improvements in pharmacist confidence would require structured training programs, which typically take 3-6 months to implement. Patients could see better pharmacy support within 6-12 months if pharmacies invest in IBD-specific training for their staff.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my community pharmacist help me manage my inflammatory bowel disease?
Your pharmacist can confidently help with diet advice, over-the-counter symptom relief, medication storage, and knowing when to see a doctor. However, a 2026 study found they have moderate confidence in explaining specific IBD medications, so ask your gastroenterologist for detailed medication questions.
What should I ask my pharmacist versus my doctor about IBD?
Ask your pharmacist about general lifestyle changes, symptom management, and when symptoms need medical attention. Ask your doctor about how your specific IBD medications work, dosage adjustments, and complex treatment decisions. Research shows pharmacists feel most confident with the first category.
Do experienced pharmacists know more about inflammatory bowel disease?
A 2026 study of 94 pharmacists found that those with more than 5 years of experience showed slightly higher confidence, but the difference was small. Most pharmacists, regardless of experience, need more specialized IBD training.
How can pharmacies improve their inflammatory bowel disease support?
According to 2026 research, pharmacies should provide staff with specialized training in IBD medication management and disease-specific patient counseling. This would help pharmacists move from moderate to high confidence in complex IBD care.
What areas do pharmacists feel most uncertain about with IBD?
A 2026 study found pharmacists reported moderate confidence in medication-specific counseling and managing complex IBD situations. They felt most confident with basic advice like diet, symptom relief, and knowing when referral was needed.
Want to Apply This Research?
- Track which pharmacy questions you ask and whether you felt the answer was helpful. Rate pharmacist confidence on a 1-5 scale for different topics (medication questions, diet advice, symptom management) to identify which areas need specialist consultation.
- Before visiting your pharmacy, write down specific medication or disease questions. After your visit, note whether the pharmacist felt confident answering each question. If they seemed uncertain about medication-specific issues, schedule a call with your gastroenterologist to get clearer answers.
- Keep a monthly log of pharmacy interactions and confidence levels observed. Track which topics consistently receive uncertain answers, then proactively schedule specialist appointments to address those gaps. Share feedback with your pharmacy to help them identify training needs.
This research describes pharmacist confidence levels in Malta and may not apply to all healthcare settings or countries. The study measures self-reported confidence, not actual clinical performance. If you have inflammatory bowel disease, work with your gastroenterologist or IBD specialist for diagnosis, treatment decisions, and complex medication management. Community pharmacists can provide valuable support for general questions and symptom management, but should not replace specialist medical care. Always consult your healthcare provider before making changes to your IBD treatment plan.
This research translation is published by Gram Research, the science division of Gram, an AI-powered nutrition tracking app.