RESUMEN
BACKGROUND: The Swedish pharmacy market is presently being reregulated. The state-owned pharmacy monopoly company was divided and sold during 2009, and certain nonprescription medicines are now allowed in nonpharmacy settings. The changes will likely affect the pharmacist's role and the image of the community pharmacist in society. This change may affect how pharmacists are seen by society at large, and therefore, a baseline showing how pharmacists are depicted before the reregulation is of great value. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to describe how the pharmacist profession is depicted in print media in Sweden, with a focus on community pharmacy. METHODS: A deductive qualitative content analysis with material from print media was conducted, using professional criteria as a framework. Swedish print media from October 2005 to October 2008 were searched and all relevant articles included. RESULTS: A total of 139 articles were included. Most articles came from professional journals, that is, journals directed toward pharmacist or related professions. The results show that the pharmacist profession is not highly visible and that this lack of visibility is disappointing to pharmacists. CONCLUSIONS: Society, as reflected in print media, does not display an awareness of the pharmacist role in Sweden. Although this is disappointing for the profession, it allows pharmacists to influence the depiction and hence their position in society.
Asunto(s)
Medios de Comunicación de Masas , Farmacias , Farmacéuticos/psicología , Rol Profesional , Humanos , Farmacias/organización & administración , SueciaRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: Pharmacy practice is evolving according to general health-care trends such as increased patient involvement and public health initiatives. In addition, pharmacists strive to find new professional roles. Clients' expectations of service encounters at pharmacies is an under-explored topic but crucial to understanding how pharmacy practice can evolve efficiently. OBJECTIVE: To identify and describe different normative expectations of the pharmacy encounter among pharmacy clients. METHODS: Q methodology, an approach to systematically explore subjectivity that retains complete patterns of responses and organizes these into factors of operant subjectivity. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Eighty-five regular prescription medication users recruited at Swedish community pharmacies and by snowballing. RESULTS: Seven factors of operant subjectivity were identified, and organized into two groups. Factors that emphasized the physical drug product as the central object of the pharmacy encounter were labelled as independent drug shopping; logistics of drug distribution; and supply of individual's own drugs. Factors that emphasized personal support as desirable were labelled competence as individual support; individualist professional relations, just take care of me; and practical health-care and lifestyle support. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSIONS: The systematic Q-methodological approach yielded valuable insights into how pharmacy clients construct their expectations for service encounters. They hold differentiating normative expectations for pharmacy services. Understanding these varying viewpoints may be important for developing and prioritizing among efficient pharmacy services. Clients' expectations do not correspond with trends that guide current pharmacy practice development. This might be a challenge for promoting or implementing services based on such trends.
Asunto(s)
Satisfacción del Paciente , Farmacias/estadística & datos numéricos , Q-Sort , Adulto , Anciano , Anciano de 80 o más Años , Femenino , Humanos , Masculino , Persona de Mediana Edad , Suecia , Adulto JovenRESUMEN
BACKGROUND: There is a need for evidence to support expanded pharmacist services, especially regarding subjective outcomes experienced by patients. However, it is unclear what aspects of life are actually affected by such services. OBJECTIVES: The aims of this study are to identify patients' perceptions of both an expanded pharmacist service and its impact on subjective outcomes such as health and quality of life, and to elicit variables that may be targeted in future evaluation of the impact of such services. METHODS: In-depth interviews were performed with 12 respondents receiving a patient medication record service. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative constant comparative method. RESULTS: The service was perceived very differently by unique respondents in regards to its purpose and content, as well as its outcomes. It was difficult for respondents to describe the service as separate from other health care experiences. Gaining control of drug treatment and a perceived feeling of increased safety were central concepts in patients' description of the service. Talking spontaneously about health effects of the service carried no meaning for the respondents. CONCLUSIONS: The value of enhanced patient consultation, empowerment, the feeling of safety, and increased drug knowledge are important to patients receiving this kind of service and should be central in choosing outcome measures when studying such services.