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PubMed2006

Tobacco cessation counseling: pharmacists' opinions and practices.

OBJECTIVE: As a key interface between patients and the health-care community, pharmacists are uniquely positioned to promote tobacco cessation. The objectives of this study were to: (a) characterize pharmacists' past training and current activities in provision of tobacco interventions, attitudes toward assisting patients with quitting, and interest in receiving specialized training for tobacco cessation counseling; and (b) identify predictors of pharmacists' counseling for tobacco cessation. METHODS: A 10-page survey was mailed to all licensed pharmacists in four California counties. RESULTS: Returned surveys (n = 1,168; 54.2% response) indicated that fewer than 8% of pharmacists have received formal training for tobacco cessation counseling, and current levels of counseling are low. Key predictors of cessation counseling include practice setting, pharmacists' race/ethnicity, perceived pros of counseling, and self-efficacy for counseling. Of 715 pharmacists who have direct patient contact, 93% indicated that receiving specialized tobacco cessation counseling training would increase their counseling quality, and 70% indicated that it would increase the number of patients counselled. Eighty-eight percent reported interest in receiving specialized training to obtain these skills. CONCLUSION: Although few pharmacists have received formal training in tobacco cessation and counseling activities currently are low, there is substantial professional interest in further developing this role. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Provision of comprehensive training that focuses on promoting self-efficacy for counseling likely will increase pharmacists' tobacco cessation counseling activities.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

From counting and pouring to caring: the empathic developmental process of community pharmacists.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacists are the most accessible health care provider. As such, they often interact with patients who, for a variety of reasons, are in some form of emotional distress. Pharmacists who can communicate empathically are able to build good patient rapport, which often translates into improved patient outcomes. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to better understand the process of how experienced community pharmacists developed into highly empathic pharmacists. This study was not intended to measure empathic abilities of pharmacists as an outcome. METHODS: Using a grounded theory qualitative methodology, a purposeful sample of 20 highly empathic experienced community pharmacists was selected using explicit selection criteria. A semistructured interview was conducted with each pharmacist selected. Interview data were analyzed first through open coding, then with qualitative data analysis software. RESULTS: Two significant themes emerged from the data. Theme 1 focused on the social learning component of empathy development such as observation and imitation of others; and theme 2 centered on the role of the consistent use of self-reflective practices when pharmacists interact with a patient in distress. CONCLUSIONS: The data suggest that empathic development in pharmacists is a function of social learning and reflection in action. This interplay appears to facilitate empathic responding to patients who are experiencing physical or emotional distress.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

Implementation of sequential therapy programmes--a pharmacist's view.

Sequential antibiotic therapy has a number of advantages in terms of patient benefit and value for money in drug use. Introduction and maintenance of a process to ensure sequential therapy is multidisciplinary, involving clinicians, pharmacists, microbiologists and possibly nurses. The contribution of pharmacists is multi-faceted and involves senior and junior pharmacists working in a number of areas. Pharmacy managers will be involved at policy setting level through the Drug and Therapeutics committee and similar bodies. Purchasing and formulary pharmacists will be involved in negotiating purchasing agreements while clinical pharmacists provide data on the costs and outcomes of treatment. The drug information pharmacist is a valuable resource in searching and interpreting the available literature. Whatever system is used, clinical pharmacists have an important role in identifying patients and monitoring prescribing. In many schemes described in the literature, pharmacists have had an important role in auditing the effectiveness of sequential therapy. There may be scope for developing the clinical pharmacist's role further by devolving, under protocol, increased decision making and medicines management responsibilities.

Administration, Oral↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacist-patient privilege, confidentiality, and legally-mandated counseling: a legal review.

OBJECTIVE: To indicate the necessity for uniform, privileged status of pharmacist-patient communications. DATA SOURCES: Published cases (LEXIS), literature (NEXIS and MEDLINE), and abstracts available through November 1997. CASE SELECTION AND DATA ABSTRACTION: Selected by the authors for inclusion based on objectives, publication in English, and usefulness of information for practicing pharmacists. DATA SYNTHESIS: Since pharmacists are now legally required to counsel patients under federal and state laws, protection of the confidentiality of such information is of concern. Statutes are largely silent on the issue of pharmacist-patient communications, particularly oral communications. Some states recognize privilege (protection from subpoenas and court orders), others provide confidentiality only (information must be divulged only upon subpoena or court order), and most states specify neither type of protection for pharmacist-patient communications. An evaluation of case law indicates personal and legal risks, for both pharmacist and patient, associated with unprivileged communications occurring within a counseling situation. CONCLUSION: Pharmacist-patient communications must be granted privileged status, in all states, to protect both pharmacist and patient if pharmacists are to fulfill their legally-mandated counseling responsibilities.

Confidentiality↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Analysis of grocery chain pharmacists' work-related behaviors.

OBJECTIVE: To measure grocery chain pharmacists' work-related behaviors to assess the impact of a Pharmaceutical Care Certificate Program (PCCP) and other future interventions intended to alter pharmacists' practice behaviors. DESIGN: This study used multidimensional work sampling (MWS), a work measurement methodology that breaks "work" into three components: activity (what was done), contact (with whom the activity was performed), and function (the purpose or objective of the activity). Pharmacists were signaled at random intervals during the workday by a random signal generator. A selection was made from a list of items in each of the three dimensions of work to form an activity-contact-function combination code that described the work-related behavior at that point in time. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Pharmacists in 15 grocery chain stores in the Indianapolis area; 20 pharmacists were enrolled in Purdue University's PCCP and 10 served as controls. Data were collected for a period of six weeks during April through June 1997 before the beginning of the PCCP program. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pharmacists' work-related behaviors. RESULTS: Writing/keyboarding was the most frequently recorded activity (22%), followed by one-to-one meetings (21.6%), and drug preparation (18%). Pharmacists spent most of their time working alone (62.9%), while a smaller but still substantial proportion of time was spent interacting with patients (17.9%). The most frequently recorded purpose (i.e., function) of pharmacists' activities was drug distribution (23.9%), followed by personal time (12.4%), receiving or transferring a medication order (10.2%), and patient counseling (6.6%). Out of a possible, 1,760 activity-contact-function combinations, 10 accounted for 46.3% of all reported observations, with "Prepare drug-Self-Drug distribution" representing the most frequently recorded activity-contact-function combination (15.7%). CONCLUSION: MWS is useful in helping grocery chain management better understand how pharmacy personnel are currently being utilized. This study provides a baseline for evaluating the impact of training programs or other alterations in the practice environment on pharmacists' work-related behaviors.

Community Pharmacy Services↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmaceutical care certificate program: assessment of pharmacists' implementation into practice.

OBJECTIVE: To measure the effects of a Pharmaceutical Care Certificate Program (PCCP) in community pharmacists. DESIGN: This study compared the effects of the PCCP over time using a repeated measures design. SETTING: Retail, independent, and managed care pharmacy. PARTICIPANTS: 36 pharmacists who participated in the PCCP. INTERVENTIONS: PCCP, which was developed to train pharmacists in (1) practice re-engineering, (2) components of pharmaceutical care, and (3) drug therapy management of disease states. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: (1) pharmacist job functions, (2) pharmaceutical care job functions, (3) pharmaceutical care components, (4) pharmacist-perceived barriers to providing pharmaceutical care, and (5) proposed solutions for overcoming barriers. RESULTS: When comparing pharmacists at baseline and after 1 year, pharmacists after 1 year felt significantly better prepared to perform all pharmaceutical care components. CONCLUSION: Although the PCCP was successful in preparing pharmacists to perform the pharmaceutical care components covered in the program, time seems to be one of the major barriers for their actual implementation into practice. One proposed solution is the development of partnerships between pharmacists and schools of pharmacy.

Certification↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Interpersonal perception: a theory and method for studying pharmacists' and patients' views of pharmaceutical care.

OBJECTIVES: To identify the congruency between pharmacists' and their patients' perceptions of the benefits of services a pharmacist would provide if practicing according to the pharmaceutical care model, and to characterize the relationship between the congruency of their perceptions and the extent to which each reports that such services are provided. DESIGN: This study employed the interpersonal perception method, a communication theory and tool through which two people's perceptions are compared to assess their agreement with and understanding of one another regarding a particular issue. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Six independent community pharmacies participated in a written survey of perceptions of pharmaceutical care. Questionnaires were distributed to 100 adult patients from each store. Pharmacists completed a self-report of the pharmaceutical care services provided to their patients; patients were asked whether they received such services. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Pharmacists' and patients' perceptions of pharmaceutical care; pharmacists' and patients' reports of pharmaceutical care activities. RESULTS: Pharmacists and patients were found to disagree on the potential benefits of pharmaceutical care services. Pharmacists tended not to understand their patients' perceptions. The differences were not found to be related to the level of pharmaceutical care reportedly provided. CONCLUSION: The extent to which pharmacists' and patients' perceptions serve as barriers to the provision of pharmaceutical care is yet unknown. This study shows that differences in these perceptions exist and may perpetuate both patients' traditional perceptions of dispensing activities in the community pharmacy and pharmacists' perceptions of lack of patient interest in pharmaceutical care.

Adolescent↗
PubMedDate not supplied

An evaluation of smoking cessation-related activities by pharmacists.

OBJECTIVES: To (1) describe the types of smoking cessation intervention activities performed by community pharmacists and (2) assess the perceived barriers to this type of intervention. DESIGN: Confidential mail questionnaire. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: 541 community pharmacists in North Carolina and 946 community pharmacists in Texas. RESULTS: North Carolina and Texas differ with respect to the sale of cigarettes at the practice site, with North Carolina pharmacies being more likely to sell tobacco products. Overall, 555 (92.5%) respondents reported that they do not routinely ask new patients if they smoke or use tobacco products. Pharmacists described themselves as knowledgeable about smoking cessation therapies, and 42% of respondents had attended an educational program on smoking cessation. A total of 230 (39.5%) reported consistently counseling individual patients about smoking cessation treatment strategies on at least a weekly basis. Exploratory factor analysis identified four dimensions of barriers that inhibit pharmacists from engaging in smoking cessation-related activities: (1) pharmacist interpersonal characteristics, (2) practice site considerations, (3) patient characteristics, and (4) financial concerns. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists have an opportunity to identify health risks and counsel patients about disease-preventing lifestyle changes. These findings suggest that although pharmacists believe they are qualified to perform smoking cessation interventions, they do not routinely identify smokers and they perceive several barriers to participating in such activities. Pharmacists should investigate increased involvement in smoking cessation activities for the benefit of their patients and for the potential professional and economic rewards.

Community Pharmacy Services↗
PubMedDate not supplied

Pharmacists' attitudes toward diabetes.

OBJECTIVES: To assess pharmacists' attitudes toward diabetes, to evaluate the measurement properties of the Diabetes Attitude Scale (DAS) in a sample of pharmacists, and to estimate the number and attitudes of pharmacists certified as diabetes educators (CDE). DESIGN: Mail survey. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: A systematic sample of 522 hospital, community, and other pharmacists registered with the professional pharmacy association in Alberta, Canada. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The survey contained the 31 items of the DAS with 4 additional items that addressed attitudes toward the role of the pharmacist. RESULTS: Response rate was 65%. Pharmacists' mean attitude scores were positive to strongly positive toward the Special Training, Control/Complications, Team Care, and Pharmacist's Role factors and neutral toward the Compliance, NIDDM, Difficult to Treat, and Outpatient Education factors. Pharmacists' attitudes varied based on practice setting, year of graduation, and whether they had diabetes or a CDE designation. Most factor scores had good reliability. CONCLUSION: Pharmacists agree that they should be part of the health care team for managing diabetes, should be required to have specialized training to provide primary diabetes care, and that they have the skills to become diabetes educators.

Alberta↗
PubMedDate not supplied

How many pharmacists are in our future? The Bureau of Health Professions Projects Supply to 2020.

OBJECTIVE: To describe a Bureau of Health Professions model for estimating the numbers and selected demographic characteristics of active pharmacists in the United States and to relate the model's findings. DESIGN: We constructed a model using as base counts data from the Pharmacy Manpower Project census of 1989 to 1991 and advancing the counts annually based on estimates of pharmacists entering and leaving the workforce. The total number of active pharmacists in any year was the sum of the male and female cohorts from age 24 through age 75. The model and its underlying assumptions included consideration of U.S. graduates through 1998, international pharmacy graduates who become licensed in the United States, new schools, type of entry-level degrees, and separation rates. A basic series and high and low alternative series were constructed based on different assumptions. RESULTS: The basic series projected 196,011 active pharmacists in 2000, 224,524 by 2010, and 249,086 by 2020. Estimated pharmacists per-100,000 population were 71.2 in 2000, 74.9 in 2010, and 76.7 in 2020. The workforce was projected to consist increasingly of women: 32% in 1991, 46% in 2000, 50% in 2003, and 64% in 2020. Percentages of graduates receiving the BS degree fell from 94% (1980) to 64.4% (1998) and were projected to decrease to 0% by 2005. Estimated U.S. graduates were 7,945 in 2000, 8,133 in 2010, and 8,452 in 2020. The mean age in 2000 was 38 years for women pharmacists, 46 for men, and 42 overall. Estimates of total pharmacists in 1998 were similar to those from other sources, increasing confidence in the model. CONCLUSION: The Bureau of Health Professions model, which can be readily revised as more and better data become available, provided estimates of active pharmacists by age and sex from 1991 to 2020. The model portrayed an increasingly female pharmacy workforce, with more pharmacists holding the PharmD degree. The model and data are useful for research, analysis, and health care planning.

Adult↗
PubMed2000

Evaluation of the impact of pharmacist's advice giving on the outcomes of self-medication in patients suffering from dyspepsia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the outcomes of self-medication in patients suffering from dyspepsia by comparing changes in the Health related Quality of Life before and after self-medication of dyspeptic disorders. Another study objective was the quantitative and qualitative analysis of the pharmacist's advice-giving to patients with dyspepsia. Therefore the impact of the counselling by the pharmacist on the patient's health outcomes was surveyed and compared between study and control pharmacies. Moreover, the study analysed the influence of a special training on the services provided by the pharmacies with regard to self-medication. A beneficial effect of self-medication on the HRQoL of patients with dyspepsia on a weekly basis has been detected in the study. There is evidence that advice-giving and counselling by the pharmacists in self-medication have a measurable impact on self-medication outcomes. Moreover, the study reveals that patients value the information provided by the pharmacist. Pharmacists gathered the relevant and comprehensive information from the patients having dyspeptic symptoms and provided advice concerning OTC-drugs. Moreover, pharmacists frequently discussed the relevance of factors aggravating dyspeptic disorders such as lifestyle, drinking, smoking, and manner of nutrition with the patient. Training programs and treatment guidelines for the pharmacist seem to obtain a positive effect on his performance. The findings of the study substantiate the value of a pharmacist-controlled self-medication. The study results suggest that the quality of primary health care in self-medication would improve if pharmacists' involvement were even more intense.

Dyspepsia↗
PubMed2004

Evaluation of warfarin dosing by pharmacists for elderly medical in-patients.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of pharmacists dosing warfarin for in-patients, in comparison to that of junior doctors, in order to establish the value of a pharmacist-controlled in-patient anti-coagulation service. SETTING: Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust (BSUH). METHOD: Two wards at Brighton General Hospital were under pharmacist-control of warfarin dosing and three wards remained under the care of doctors. Data was collected for 11 months and a total of 33 patients were recruited into each arm. RESULTS: Pharmacists prescribed more appropriate loading and maintenance doses (according to the Trust's Prescribing Guidelines) compared to doctors. This resulted in more patients reaching their target INR sooner. Documentation of indication, duration of treatment and target INR was also much improved compared to medical staff. However, more patients (73%) in the doctors' group were within range on discharge and at the out-patient clinic (79%), compared to the pharmacists (68% & 61% respectively). This could not be explained entirely. Significantly fewer patients dosed by pharmacists had episodes of over or under anti-coagulation (91% vs 67%) and fewer INR tests were requested (2.3/patient/week) compared to those dosed by doctors (2.7). Patients under the control of pharmacists also had fewer adverse events (6% vs 12%). One major GI bleed occurred in the doctors' group. CONCLUSION: Pharmacist dosing of warfarin for in-patients had a beneficial effect on most aspects of anti- coagulation control. This study therefore provides further evidence to support the extended role pharmacists can play with the benefit of reducing risk, junior doctors' hours and improving patient care.

Aged↗
PubMed1999

Attitudes of pharmacists and physicians to antibiotic policies in hospitals.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic therapy in hospitals has substantial impact on patient outcome and the pharmacy drug budget. Antibiotic policies have been implemented by some hospitals to improve the quality of patient outcome and cost of antibiotic therapy. Antibiotic policies impose certain requirements on pharmacists and physicians. Pharmacists' and physicians' attitudes to and opinions about antibiotic policies are likely to affect the usefulness of such policies. AIM: To determine the attitudes of pharmacists and physicians to antibiotic policies in New South Wales (NSW) hospitals. METHODS: Pharmacists and physicians in NSW public hospitals were surveyed to determine their attitudes to and opinions on antibiotic policies. A simple one-stage cluster sample of 241 pharmacists and a two-stage cluster sample of 701 physicians were obtained. Factor analysis was used to identify the attitudinal dimensions. General linear modelling was used to investigate the effects of predictor variables on outcome variables. RESULTS: The response rates were 91% and 77% for pharmacists and physicians, respectively. Factor analysis identified three dimensions of attitude to antibiotic policies: that they encourage rational antibiotic use; that they improve the quality of antibiotic prescribing and that they are associated with some problems. The reliability of these factors (Cronbach's alpha) ranged from 0.71 to 0.74, and was 0.90 for the overall attitude scale. Pharmacists and physicians had a positive overall attitude to antibiotic policies. Whereas physicians recognize that antibiotic policies improve the quality of prescribing, this was highly correlated with identification of problems (alpha = 0.71). In urban hospitals, pharmacists were more likely than physicians to associate antibiotics with problems. CONCLUSION: There was a positive overall attitude to hospital antibiotic policies expressed by pharmacists and physicians.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2000

[Opinions and attitudes on the topic of vaccination of established physicians, pharmacists and their personnel and current vaccination status of these groups].

Object of this investigation was to evaluate attitudes and opinions of general practitioners, internal specialists and pharmacists with regard to vaccination. At the same time we investigated the actual vaccination state of these groups and of the medical staff and pharmacy staff. Physicians and pharmacists answered by using a four-page written questionnaire. The vaccination state was evaluated by a single-page questionnaire. Analyses were made by using the statistical program SPSS. The 161 physicians and 188 pharmacists participating in this study generally agree that the risk of infection in practice and pharmacy is not significant. The best vaccine protection in these groups was observed for tetanus. An effective inoculation against this pathogen was documented by 79.4% of physicians and 63.3% of pharmacists. 73.4% of physicians had also a protection against hepatitis B. All other vaccinations were documented as actually protective only in 6-55% of the cases. Physicians and pharmacists agree that their staff should have a vaccination against tetanus, diphtheria and poliomyelitis, followed by hepatitis B and influenza. The vaccination state of medical staff and pharmacy-staff does not attain the demanded standard. It shows levels of 3-70%. Further education in vaccination is more often practised by pharmacists and their staff than by physicians and medical staff. Physicians are more active in advising patients about vaccination than pharmacists and patients rather consult their doctor than a pharmacist to give them vaccination advice. There is still a need for motivation of physicians and pharmacists to be an example for their patients and clients respectively. In addition, more of public information could be helpful.

Adult↗
PubMed1998

National survey of training and credentialing methods in pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics.

A national survey of pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics was conducted to determine how pharmacists are trained to provide care in such clinics. In June 1996 a survey was mailed to 177 pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics in the United States. A total of 128 surveys were returned (response rate, 72%). One hundred ten surveys representing 42 states and a variety of institutions were usable. Twenty-five (23%) of the 110 clinics offered an anticoagulation training program for their pharmacists. Most training programs had both didactic and experiential components and had been in existence for one to five years. Thirty-two (29%) of the 110 responding clinics had at least one pharmacist who had completed the ASHP Research and Education Foundation's Anticoagulation Service Traineeship. Twenty-three of the 25 clinics with a training program required successful completion of the program before a pharmacist could practice in the clinic. The overall quality of pharmacists' performance was regularly assessed by 22 of the 25 clinics. Most pharmacist-managed anticoagulation clinics in the United States do not offer formal training in anticoagulation therapy to pharmacists who practice in that setting.

Ambulatory Care Facilities↗
PubMed1999

Transplant pharmacists' opinions on generic product selection of critical-dose drugs.

Factors considered important by transplant pharmacists in decisions about generic product selection and in defining critical-dose drugs, as well as transplant pharmacists' attitudes about bioequivalence testing, were studied. Surveys, completed by telephone and fax in 1997, were used to assess pharmacists' role at solid-organ transplant centers, factors the pharmacists considered important for generic product selection, and pharmacists' attitudes about the FDA guidelines on bioequivalence testing. Surveys were completed by 59 pharmacists. The factors considered important by pharmacists for inclusion of generic products on the formulary were safety (97% of respondents), clinical consequences (97%), efficacy (92%), and bioequivalence (92%). Nearly all the pharmacists (95%) expressed a belief that generic products of some critical-dose drugs should not be dispensed. Only 12% of the respondents said they thought that the FDA guidelines on bioequivalence testing were appropriate for critical-dose drugs, and 92% thought that bioequivalence testing for this category of drugs should be conducted in actual patients. Efficacy, safety, the presence of a narrow therapeutic index, bioequivalence, and clinical consequences were identified by transplant pharmacists as important factors in decisions about generic product selection; current FDA guidelines for establishing bioequivalence were viewed as possibly not appropriate for critical-dose drugs.

Data Collection↗
PubMed2004

Pharmacist involvement in antimicrobial use at rural community hospitals in four Western states.

PURPOSE: Pharmacist involvement in antimicrobial use at small rural hospitals in four Western states was studied. METHODS: Surveys were mailed in July 2000 to hospitals with a daily patient census of <150 in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, and eastern Washington. RESULTS: Seventy-seven (77%) of 100 hospitals returned completed surveys. Only 5% of the hospitals had onsite pharmacists 24 hours per day. An onsite pharmacist was present for a median of 26 hours per week in hospitals without 24-hour pharmacist coverage (range, 0-116 hr/wk). Many hospitals (71%) had policies for monitoring or controlling antimicrobial use, but only 28% had a system capable of monitoring compliance with such policies. Few hospitals had systems for recommending changes in antimicrobial selection on the basis of susceptibility test results (27%) or for monitoring physician compliance with dosage recommendations by pharmacists (21%). Onsite pharmacist hours were significantly associated with pharmacists being involved in the initial ordering of antibiotics and providing active oversight of antimicrobial use. There was a negative correlation between onsite pharmacist hours and use of third-generation cephalosporins and carbapenems. CONCLUSION: A survey showed that rural hospital pharmacists in four Western states spent relatively little time monitoring and influencing antimicrobial prescribing.

Anti-Bacterial Agents↗
PubMed2000

'Strong medicine': an analysis of pharmacist consultations in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Patients often find it difficult to discuss their medications fully with their prescribing doctor. Little is known about what might be said about medications to another professional within the primary health care team (PHCT). Pharmacists are seeking to extend their role within primary care and are ideally placed to provide independent medication advice. OBJECTIVE: Our aim was to test the feasibility of using primary care pharmacists as medication counsellors, and to analyse the content of their consultations using qualitative methods. METHOD: Some patients were referred by their doctors, some self-referred and others were invited by the pharmacists for medication reviews. Pharmacist-patient consultations took place within GP surgeries and in patients' homes, and were audiotaped, transcribed and analysed qualitatively. The study sample consisted of 25 consultations with three primary care pharmacists conducted over a 3-month period. RESULTS: Referrals from the doctors were slow and there were no referrals from nurses. The pharmacists, who all had clinical backgrounds and were not dispensing pharmacists, experienced few problems with the consultations. Patients were willing to discuss their medications in detail with the pharmacists. A theme emerged regarding the perceived potency of medications, and this seemed to have an effect on the experience of side effects and the perceived efficacy of the medications. CONCLUSIONS: From this small study, it would seem that pharmacist consultations within primary care are a feasible extension of their current role as prescribing budget advisors. The richness of the consultations reflects the acceptability to patients. Feedback of information to other members of the PHCT, given patient consent, would be very useful for a better understanding of the patient's perspective, which in turn would facilitate concordance in the negotiation of the patient's management.

Feasibility Studies↗