Even though pharmaceutical care is not a new concept in pharmacy, its introduction and\ndevelopment has proved to be challenging. In Iceland, general practitioners are not familiar with\npharmaceutical care and additionally no such service is offered in pharmacies or primary care settings.\nIntroducing pharmaceutical care in primary care in Iceland is making great efforts to follow other\ncountries, which are bringing the pharmacist more into patient care. General practitioners are key\nstakeholders in this endeavor. The aim of this study was to introduce pharmacist-led pharmaceutical\ncare into primary care clinics in Iceland in collaboration with general practitioners by presenting\ndifferent setting structures. Action research provided the framework for this research. Data was\ncollected from pharmaceutical care interventions, whereby the pharmaceutical care practitioner\nensures that each of a patient�s medications is assessed to determine if it is appropriate, effective, safe,\nand that the patient can take medicine as expected. Sources of data included pharmaceutical care notes\non patients, researcher�s notes, meetings, and interviews with general practitioners over the period\nof the study. The study ran from September 2013 to October 2015. Three separate semi-structured\nin-depth interviews were conducted with five general practitioners from one primary health care\nclinic in Iceland at different time points throughout the study. Pharmaceutical care was provided to\nelderly patients (n = 125) before and between general practitioners� interviews. The study setting was\na primary care clinic in the Reykjavik area and the patients� homes. Results showed that the GPs�\nknowledge about pharmacist competencies as healthcare providers and their potential in patient\ncare increased. GPs would now like to have access to a pharmacist on a daily basis. Direct contact\nbetween the pharmacist and GPs is better when working in the same physical space. Pharmacist�s\naccess to medical records is necessary for optimal service. Pharmacist-led clinical service was deemed\nmost needed in dose dispensing polypharmacy patients. This research indicated that it was essential\nto introduce Icelandic GPs to the potential contribution of pharmacists in patient care and that action\nresearch was a useful methodology to promote and develop a relationship between those two health\ncare providers in primary care in Iceland.
Loading....