Stakeholder perspectives about general practice pharmacists in the Australian Capital Territory: a qualitative pilot study

Abstract

Previous studies have found that integrating non-dispensing pharmacists in general practice may improve patient safety, improve patient outcomes, deliver health system efficiencies and generate savings. However, the employment of pharmacists in general practice is not common in Australia. A naturalistic study was conducted in the Australian Capital Territory with three general practices, each employing a part-time pharmacist for 12 months. This study reports on stakeholder perspectives of the benefits, barriers and enablers for integrating pharmacists into general practice. Patients, practice staff and community pharmacists that had interacted with a practice pharmacist were asked to complete a self-administered questionnaire. Patient questionnaire respondents (n=44) reported that a practice pharmacist was beneficial and wanted to see this continue. Practice pharmacists were also perceived beneficial by primary healthcare employees surveyed (n=42). Opinions were further explored by individual semi-structured interviews (n=20). The qualitative data explored five themes: perception of the practice pharmacist, collaboration with doctors, pharmacist roles, sustainability and community pharmacy aspects. Patients welcomed improved understanding about their medication, whereas general practice staff appreciated pharmaceutical advice about patients with chronic conditions. Participants discussed options to fund practice pharmacists longer term, which was identified as the main barrier to widespread roll out.

The Role of Pharmacists in General Practice in Asthma Management: A Pilot Study

“…Each general practice pharmacist maintained a daily activity diary, the analysis of which has been described elsewhere [13]. Stakeholder experiences with the pharmacists in general practice have also been published [14].…”

“…The aim of this pilot study was to describe interventions in asthma management by one general practice pharmacist, subsequent changes in asthma control and the acceptability of this model of care. This study was nested within a trial conducted in the Australian Capital Territory, Australia [13,14], which was funded by the Capital Health Network, the local Primary Health Network.…”

What can pharmacists do in general practice? A pilot trial

“…The perceptions of stakeholders regarding the benefits, barriers and enablers for integrating pharmacists into general practice are reported separately. 16 Further evaluation through large randomised controlled trials in Australia is required to collect clinical outcomes and determine which activities conducted by pharmacists are most beneficial, cost-effective and welcomed by GPs and patients. This could then be used to develop a robust business case for ongoing funding to facilitate the wider integration of pharmacists in Australian general practice.…”

Evaluation of General Practice Pharmacists: Study Protocol to Assess Interprofessional Collaboration and Team Effectiveness

“…General practice pharmacists, general practitioners, and other health professionals (may include nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, dieticians, and physiotherapists) (n ≈ 113) from eight general practices in the ACT, Australia will be invited to participate in surveys. For the qualitative component, all the general practice pharmacists (n = 8) and a purposeful sample of general practitioners and other allied health professionals in general practices (n ≈ 16) will be recruited [63,64]. Purposive sampling will be continued until the sample requirements are met by recruiting at least one pharmacist, one general practitioner, and one other health professional from each general practice.…”