Patients’ experiences of pharmacists in general practice: an exploratory qualitative study

Abstract

Background Since 2015, pharmacists have been integrating into English general practices and more recently into primary care networks. General practice-based pharmacists provide a range of patient-facing services, such as medication reviews, management of long-term conditions and minor ailments, prescribing duties and answering queries over the telephone. Literature reports patients’ satisfaction with general practice-based pharmacists’ services, however, previous research captured only limited experiences. The aim of the current study was to pursue an extensive exploration of patients’ experiences of pharmacists in general practice. Methods General practice-based pharmacists, working in practices in West London, Surrey and Berkshire, handed invitation packs to patients seen during consultations. Patients that wanted to take part in the study were invited to undertake a qualitative, in-depth, face-to-face, semi-structured interview within the practice with which each patient was registered. Interviews lasted from 15 min to more than 1 h and were audio-recorded. Recruitment continued until data saturation. Audio-recordings were transcribed verbatim and transcripts analysed thematically. Results Twenty participants were interviewed. Four themes were discerned: awareness (“I had been coming to this practice for 24 years and I didn’t know that there was a pharmacist”); accessibility (“People ring for a GP [general practitioner] appointment … it’s Monday and they [receptionist] tells you ‘We can slot you in on Friday’ … with a pharmacist on board, they can [instantly] look at you”); interactions (“I’ve always had a really good interaction with them [pharmacists] and they listen and they take on board what I’m trying to say”); and feedback (“It’s easier [to collect feedback instantly] because I could have forgotten half of what they [pharmacists] have told me in an hour or so’s time”). Conclusions Findings indicate that pharmacists’ integration into general practices could improve accessibility to, and the quality of, care received. The findings will assist policy development to provide general practice-based pharmacists’ services as per patients’ needs.

Perspectives of pharmacists in general practice from qualitative focus groups with patients during a pilot study

“…Our study demonstrated that overall acceptability of the role by patients was high, as do findings from other studies 19,15,20 .…”

“…Our study demonstrated that while some patients were clear about the role and its benefits, others were confused between the role of the pharmacist in the practice and in the community setting. This has parallels with findings from Karampatakis, Patel, Stretch et al's 20 study into the views of community pharmacists which found confusion roles. There are clear gaps between the development of new roles in the NHS and understanding of these by the public 20,33 .…”

“…This has parallels with findings from Karampatakis, Patel, Stretch et al's 20 study into the views of community pharmacists which found confusion roles. There are clear gaps between the development of new roles in the NHS and understanding of these by the public 20,33 . Our study indicates further work is needed to raise awareness of the role and its benefits for patients as the implementation of the role develops longitudinally.…”

“…Our study indicates further work is needed to raise awareness of the role and its benefits for patients as the implementation of the role develops longitudinally. This parallels with Karampatakis, Patel, Stretch et al 20 who point to limited publicity and awareness raising about the role by NHS England or GP practices with the patients in their study.…”

“…However, the lack of peer review, limited sampling approach and a low participation and completion rate limits generalisability. One exploratory study of 20 interviews with patients in one area gives some initial insights into a small group of patients 20 . Our work builds on this by exploring a wider range of patient views in response to the role.…”