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Unanswered Health‐Related Questions in Community Pharmacy: Frequency, Nature and Consequences
Author(s) -
Gordon Jennifer,
Calabretto JeanPierre,
Sorich Michael J
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
journal of pharmacy practice and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2055-2335
pISSN - 1445-937X
DOI - 10.1002/j.2055-2335.2011.tb00102.x
Subject(s) - pharmacy , medicine , community practice , community pharmacy , quality (philosophy) , pharmacy practice , alternative medicine , family medicine , health care , recall , medical education , psychology , philosophy , epistemology , pathology , economics , cognitive psychology , economic growth
Background Medical practice research suggests that deficits in information exchange can have implications, such as misunderstandings and non‐adherence to treatment. There has been little investigation into the implications of unanswered health‐related questions in community pharmacy, especially for professional pharmacy practice and quality use of medicines. Aim To investigate the frequency of consumers leaving community pharmacies with unanswered health‐related questions, the nature of the unanswered questions and the impact on consumers. Method Consumers exiting participating community pharmacies (convenience sample) were interviewed using a semi‐structured tool to capture information on the frequency, nature and consequences of unanswered health‐related questions. Data recorded from the interviews were thematically analysed. Results Over the 5 week study period, of the 87 participants interviewed, 18 (20%) had come into the pharmacy with a health‐related question and 6 (33%) left with their question unanswered. Of the 47 participants who were asked about past instances of unanswered questions, 7 (15%) reported incidents they could recall. The nature of the unanswered questions mainly focused on potential or perceived medication‐related adverse effects, and information on which to select medicines or treatment. A number of unanswered questions were considered to have potential for negative health consequences if not followed up. Conclusion On occasion, consumers leave community pharmacies with unanswered questions, which could have consequences for the quality use of medicines. Further research is needed to establish the prevalence and significance of unanswered health‐related questions in community pharmacy.