<p>Counseling interactions between patients living with persistent pain and pharmacists in Australia: are we on the same page?</p>

Abstract

Background People living with persistent pain in Australia often cannot access adequate care to manage their pain. Therefore, as the most accessible healthcare professionals, community pharmacists have an important role to play in helping to improve patient outcomes. Hence, it is important to investigate patient needs and expectations in terms of counseling interactions with pharmacists, along with pharmacists’ approach to counseling interactions with these patients. Method The nature of patient–pharmacist counseling interactions was explored with seven patients (one focus group), and 10 practicing pharmacists (two focus groups, three semi-structured interviews). The themes identified informed the development of an online survey that was advertised online to patients and pharmacists across Australia. Results A total of 95 patients and 208 pharmacists completed the survey. Overall, more than half of patients (77/95) were satisfied with the care provided by their pharmacist, but only a third (71/205) of pharmacists were satisfied with the care they provided to patients. The majority of patients (67/94) reported that pharmacists provided good information about medications. This aligned with pharmacists’ responses, as most reported focusing on medication side effects (118/188) and instructions for taking pain medication (93/183) during patient interactions. However, when asked about empathy and rapport from pharmacists, only half to two-thirds (48–61/95) of patients expressed positive views. Overall, half of the patients (39/75) wanted a caring, empathetic, respectful, and private conversation with the pharmacist, and nearly half (40/89) perceived the pharmacist's role as providing (new) information on alternative pharmacological and non-pharmacological therapies, including general advice on pain management. Conclusion There was a disparity in the nature of the interaction and information that patients wanted from pharmacists, compared to what was provided by pharmacists. Training and education may help pharmacists to better engage in patient-centered care when interacting with people living with persistent pain, thereby improving health outcomes for these patients.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation of the Malay Satisfaction Questionnaire for Osteoporosis Prevention in Malaysia

“…Providing a private, consultation area or allocating a booth to the pharmacist for counselling purposes may result in improved patient satisfaction. [45][46][47] During administration of SQOP-M at both test and retest, patients expressed preference for discussing health issues with a doctor rather than a pharmacist which may indicate a need for pharmacists in Malaysia to embrace more patient-centered roles with a clinical focus at a primary care level in order to increase profile recognition amongst community-dwelling patients. 48,49 Patients may have been less satisfied with counselling on items 20 and 22, as the emphasis of the counselling session was on osteoporosis prevention.…”

An Investigation of the Practices of Australian Adults Experiencing Pain and Their Views of Australian Community Pharmacy Pain Management Services

“…The results from the 2020 Australian National pain survey indicate that participants feel isolated particularly when dealing with health professionals who downgrade the complexity of managing their symptoms [ 28 ]. In one Australian study published in 2019, the authors identified that although participants reported an appreciation of the pharmacological counselling provided by pharmacists, some reported that pharmacists lacked empathy and listening skills [ 29 ]. This was also reflected by respondents of the national pain survey, which highlighted the necessity for health professionals to listen to the needs of their patients in private and without generalisation and judgement [ 28 ].…”

Kehadiran Apoteker dan Implementasi Good Pharmacy Practice (GPP) Di Apotek Kota Denpasar

“…18 Hasil berbeda diperoleh penelitian yang menunjukkan apoteker sebagian besar berfokus pada efek samping obat. 19 Penelitian lain juga menyebutkan apotek bukan dipandang sebagai tempat pelayanan kesehatan, tetapi lebih berorentasi kepada bisnis. 20 Hasil ini juga didukung oleh penelitian yang menyatakan 87% kepemilikan di apotek dimiliki oleh non-apoteker.…”