Open AccessDirect‐to‐consumer advertising: Australian pharmacists' experiences with non‐prescription medicines
Author(s) -
Chaar Betty,
Kwong Kenelm
Publication year - 2010
Publication title -
international journal of pharmacy practice
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.42
H-Index - 37
eISSN - 2042-7174
pISSN - 0961-7671
DOI - 10.1211/ijpp.18.01.0008
Subject(s) - direct to consumer advertising , medicine , autonomy , medical prescription , safeguarding , pharmacy , pharmacist , nursing , qualitative research , health care , harm , family medicine , psychology , social psychology , sociology , social science , political science , law , economics , economic growth
Objective Direct‐to‐consumer advertising (DTCA) of over‐the‐counter or prescribed medicines is a highly controversial issue relating to public health care. Advocates highlight the advantages of DTCA in terms of patient awareness and autonomy. Opponents voice concerns about safety and patients' best interests. The views of physicians and consumers about DTCA have been widely investigated. There has been little research, however, in relation to pharmacists' experiences with DTCA and the impact of DTCA on pharmacy practice. The aim of this study was therefore to explore pharmacists' perceptions of DTCA in Australia and its impact on pharmacy practice. Methods A semi‐structured in‐depth interview was conducted with a purposive convenience sample of retail pharmacists in Sydney, Australia. Interviews were recorded, transcribed ad verbatim and continued until data saturation. Emerging themes were extracted and analysed according to the grounded theory approach. Key findings Pharmacists participating in this study reported concern about potential harm to patient health and well‐being as a result of the influence of DTCA. DTCA was seen to impede pharmacists in the discharge of their fundamental ethical responsibilities, leading to a strong sense of disempowerment. Pharmacists' gate‐keeping role was challenged by DTCA encouraging consumers to self‐medicate and inducing a range of drug‐seeking behaviours. Although pharmacists acknowledged that DTCA may have a role in promoting patient autonomy, in practice DTCA compromised their role in safeguarding consumers from inappropriate use of medicines. Conclusions This study highlighted that the impact of DTCA is not restricted to prescription medicines, but extended also to over‐the‐counter, pharmacist‐only and other pharmacy‐related products. Pharmacists perceived that DTCA disempowered them, compromising their role in safeguarding the community from inappropriate medicine use.