Pharmacists’ Perceptions of Physician–Pharmacist Collaboration—A 2022 Cross-Sectional Survey in Poland

Abstract

Patient-centered care requires close collaboration among multiple healthcare professionals, including physician–pharmacist collaboration (especially as a part of pharmaceutical care). This study aimed to assess pharmacists’ perceptions of physician–pharmacist collaboration as well as to identify factors associated with the willingness to provide pharmaceutical care services in Poland. This questionnaire-based survey was carried out in 2022 among community pharmacists from one of the largest franchise chain pharmacy networks in Poland. Completed questionnaires were received from 635 community pharmacists (response rate of 47.9%). Almost all the pharmacists agreed with the statement that there is a need for physician–pharmacist collaboration (98.2%), and 94.8% declared that pharmacists can help physicians in patient care and pharmacotherapy. Most pharmacists (80%) believed that physicians were not aware of the competencies of pharmacists resulting from Polish law. Patient education (89.9%), detection of polypharmacy (88%), and detection of interactions between drugs and dietary supplements (85.7%) were the most common tasks in the field of pharmaceutical care that can be provided by a pharmacist. Females were more likely (p < 0.05) to declare the need for physician–pharmacist collaboration. Age and location of the pharmacy were the most important factors (p < 0.05) associated with pharmacists’ attitudes toward physician–pharmacist collaboration.

Physicians-in-Training Attitudes Towards the Community Pharmacistphysician Collaboration and Pharmaceutical Care: A 2022 Crosssectional Survey in Poland

“…Currently, pharmacists and doctors are prepared to provide joint patient care. Furthermore, under the new Pharmacist Profession Act, as of 2020, pharmacists are legally obliged to provide pharmaceutical care to their patients, thus fulfilling a more patient-centric role than their traditional role of "dispensing medicines" [7].…”

“…Despite abundant evidence of the positive impact of community pharmacists on health care, in Poland, cooperation between pharmacists and doctors is often limited [7]. The COVID-19 pandemic has contributed to a change in the perception of the role of a pharmacist in the health care system [9], but these favorable circumstances have not been properly used.…”