Autoethnography as an Instrument for Professional (Trans) Formation in Pharmaceutical Care Practice

Abstract

The recent inclusion of pharmacists in primary healthcare in Brazil through the Family Health Support Team has encouraged them to reflect on the need to change from a professional focused on medications to one focused on individuals. This autoethnography allowed a pharmacist to confront her perspectives on clinical practice between 2014 and 2016, a period when she decided to challenge her traditional training as a pharmacist centered on medications. Using pharmaceutical care practice as the theoretical framework that prompted the profession of pharmacy to change its focus to the patient, the authors collaborated to construct a monologue that engages readers in the meanings of becoming patient centered. The research findings also support the versatility of application of the reflective process provided by autoethnography. Through fieldwork, reflective writing and interviews, the pharmacist discovered a new way to relate to "caring" and "patients" in her daily routine.