‘He or she maybe doesn't know there is such a thing as a review’: A qualitative investigation exploring barriers and facilitators to accessing medication reviews from the perspective of people from ethnic minority communities

Abstract

Introduction: Regular reviews of medications, including prescription reviews and adherence reviews, are vital to support pharmacological effectiveness and optimize health outcomes for patients. Despite being more likely to report a long-term illness that requires medication when compared to their white counterparts, individuals from ethnic minority communities are less likely to engage with regular medication reviews, with inequalities negatively affecting their access. It is important to understand what barriers may exist that impact the access of those from ethnic minority communities and to identify measures that may act to facilitate improved service accessibility for these groups. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted between June and August 2021 using the following formats as permitted by governmental COVID-19 restrictions: in person, over the telephone or via video call. Perspectives on service accessibility and any associated barriers and facilitators were discussed. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the development of themes. QSR NVivo (Version 12) facilitated data management. Ethical approval was obtained from the Health Research Authority (ref: 21/HRA/1426).Results: In total 20 participants from ethnic minority communities were interviewed; these participants included 16 UK citizens, 2 refugees and 2 asylum seekers, and represented a total of 5 different ethnic groups. Three themes were developed from the data regarding the perceived barriers and facilitators affecting access to

Recommendations for community pharmacy to improve access to medication advice for people from ethnic minority communities: A qualitative person‐centred codesign study

“…This study adds to the growing evidence base considering access to medicines-specific advice for ethnic minority populations. [2][3][4]22,29 This codesign research provided a platform to share the voices of members from ethnic minority communities and generate person- appropriate and relevant for all ethnic minority groups, or whether specific communities may benefit from additional, tailored or alternative approaches to best meet their needs.…”

“…There were eight workshops conducted in total; these ran as four pairs of Workshop 1 and Workshop 2. Workshop 1 was designed in such a way as to further explore and validate the findings from two previous qualitative studies by the authors (see Figure 1 and Supporting Information: File) 4,29 . It acted as an opportunity to sense check and assess the face validity of the findings, and for participants to begin identifying core concepts of what constitutes accessibility relating to seeking medicines advice from community pharmacies 27,28 .…”

“…[17][18][19] While previous studies have demonstrated the importance of overcoming barriers related to access, specific detail about how best to achieve this is lacking. 4 Recent work has identified community pharmacies as a setting of strategic importance for the delivery of community-centred medicines-related services. 4,20 Community pharmacists are reported as the most accessible primary care healthcare provider 21 ; advantageously, medicines consultations are available without an appointment, often during the evenings and at weekends.…”

“…While previous studies have demonstrated the importance of overcoming barriers related to access, specific detail about how best to achieve this is lacking 4 . Recent work has identified community pharmacies as a setting of strategic importance for the delivery of community‐centred medicines‐related services 4,20 .…”

“…This qualitative co‐designed approach with patients seeks to build greater knowledge and understanding by involving representatives from communities whose needs may remain unmet. Previous work has demonstrated the importance of including the participants' voice within research of this nature 4 . Through codesign workshops, this study seeks to integrate the voices of those people from ethnic minority populations to gain better insight and create recommendations, on improving access to medicines advice from community pharmacies for people from ethnic minority communities.…”