Older patient, physician and pharmacist perspectives about community pharmacists' roles

Objectives: To investigate older patient, physician and pharmacist perspectives about the role of pharmacists in pharmacist-patient interactions.

Methods: Eight focus-group discussions were held in senior centres, community pharmacies and primary care physician offices. Participants were 42 patients aged 63 years and older, 17 primary care physicians and 13 community pharmacists. Qualitative analysis of the focus-group discussions was performed.

Key findings: Participants in all focus groups indicated that pharmacists are a good resource for basic information about medications. Physicians appreciated pharmacists' ability to identify drug interactions, yet did not comment on other specific aspects related to patient education and care. Physicians noted that pharmacists often were hindered by time constraints that impeded patient counselling. Both patient and pharmacist participants indicated that patients often asked pharmacists to expand upon, reinforce and explain physician-patient conversations about medications, as well as to evaluate medication appropriateness and physician treatment plans. These groups also noted that patients confided in pharmacists about medication-related problems before contacting physicians. Pharmacists identified several barriers to patient counselling, including lack of knowledge about medication indications and physician treatment plans.

Conclusions: Community-based pharmacists may often be presented with opportunities to address questions that can affect patient medication use. Older patients, physicians and pharmacists all value greater pharmacist participation in patient care. Suboptimal information flow between physicians and pharmacists may hinder pharmacist interactions with patients and detract from patient medication management. Interventions to integrate pharmacists into the patient healthcare team could improve patient medication management.