Community pharmacy teams’ experiences of general practice-based pharmacists: an exploratory qualitative study

Abstract

Background In England, since 2015, there has been a formal drive to integrate pharmacists into general practice as a new healthcare service. Research efforts have offered insights into how general practice-based professionals and patients view the service, however, they took no account of community pharmacy teams’ opinions. There have been anecdotal statements about opposition from community pharmacies to the service, due to fears of losing business. The aim of the current study was to identify the experiences and perceptions of community pharmacy teams regarding pharmacists’ presence in general practice. Methods The National Health Service Choices website was used to identify community pharmacies within a radius of two miles from eight West London general practices. The search resulted in 104 community pharmacies which were all contacted via telephone. Pharmacy staff who verbally expressed their interest to participate were then provided with the study’s documents. Qualitative, face-to-face, semi-structured interviews were conducted inside the pharmacy from which each participant was recruited. Interviews lasted 30 to 45 min and were audio-recorded. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and transcripts analysed thematically. Results Forty-eight community pharmacy staff participated. Four themes were discerned: awareness (“I knew that [pharmacists] have already been implemented [in general practice] but I haven’t really followed it … where does the pharmacist role come?”); interactions (“I’m just so pleased that there’s a pharmacist professional in the general practice … because we speak the same language!”); patient care (“if I was a patient knowing that there is a general practitioner and a pharmacist [in general practice], I would … think ‘nothing can go wrong at the moment’”); and funding challenges (“if general practices take on the extra responsibility of stop smoking or flu vaccination campaigns … financially, this would affect this pharmacy”). Conclusions The current study revealed the perceived impact of general practice-based pharmacists on community pharmacies would be improved communication between pharmacies and practices. Findings will inform policy so that any future framing of pharmacists’ presence in general practice considers the needs of community pharmacies.

General practitioners’ experiences with, views of, and attitudes towards, general practice-based pharmacists: a cross-sectional survey

“…A recent qualitative study indicated that community pharmacists were aware of pharmacists’ presence in general practice but were uncertain about details such as employment models, roles and responsibilities. This highlights that there is a need to inform community pharmacists about PBPs’ scope of practice and to introduce formal regular meetings between community pharmacy and general practice staff [ 61 ].…”

General practice pharmacists in Australia: A systematic review

“…In this review, it was shown that a key priority of the general practice pharmacist was to act as a conduit between community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and the general practice [ 57 , 58 ]. Community pharmacists appeared less enthusiastic towards pharmacists working in general practice according to one Australian article [ 54 ], while international studies have reported mixed views on the relationship between community pharmacists and general practice pharmacists: this includes a good rapport, and significant tensions stemming from professional hierarchy and competing business-related interests [ 9 , 74 , 75 ]. However, there is a knowledge gap in examining the impact of liaison between community pharmacists and general practice-based pharmacists, mainly around HMRs, smoking cessation, and lifestyle advice [ 54 , 76 ].…”

Exploring patients’ pharmacy stories: an analysis of online feedback

“…Poor relationships and infrequent collaborative efforts between community pharmacists and GPs are common issues encountered in primary care [ 34 ]. One possible approach to improving collaboration is thought to be via GP pharmacists, who could assist with building rapport between settings, unifying and improving patient care [ 35 ]. Furthermore, stock shortages have been an increasingly encountered problem for patients due to multiple supply chain disruptions [ 36 , 37 ] with a particularly difficult period arising in 2019 [ 37 – 39 ] from when this feedback data was extracted from CareOpinion.…”