Abstract
Objective: Describe and discuss the use of action research in the Pharmaceutical Assistance restructuring of primary care in the city of Lagoa Santa/MG (Brazil), for the implementation of comprehensive medication management services.Methods: An action research project, based on fortnightly thematic discussions with a group of ten pharmacists, was used as a management tool to foster the engagement and critical reflection of pharmacists involved in the construction of their clinical practice in primary care.Results: Action research encouraged pharmacists to think about their practices and to perceive the need for a clearer definition of their roles and responsibilities in primary care. The collective development allowed pharmacists to recognise their weaknesses and strengths, identifying themselves as professionals capable of assuming co-responsibility for the pharmacotherapy of the patient. The re-organization of the service was necessary to provide support for actions related to the logistic of medicines, so pharmacists could dedicate time to their clinical practice.Conclusion: Action research can be an effective instrument of reflection, motivation and empowerment for the pharmacist team to meet the challenges of the Brazilian Unified Health System (Sistema Único de Saúde, SUS).
Highlights
Nowadays the healthcare scenario requires the pharmacist to be more than a supplier of medicines
The term Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM), which is the operationalization of pharmaceutical care practice into a health service, is defined as the care standard that ensures each patient’s medications are individually assessed to determine that each medication is appropriate for the patient, effective for the medical condition, safe given the comorbidities and other medications being taken, and able to be taken by the patient as intended [5]
Our work began with the admission of the first author of this paper as a manager of the Department of Pharmacy Services in the city of Lagoa Santa
Summary
Nowadays the healthcare scenario requires the pharmacist to be more than a supplier of medicines. Pharmaceutical Care Practice, proposed by Hepler and Strand (1990), is described as a response to social demands for a professional who takes responsibility for the drug use process in patients’ daily lives. It is a patient care professional practice defined as the responsible provision of pharmacological treatments, seeking concrete results that improve patients’ quality of life [3]. In this context, Ramalho-de-Oliveira proposes that the professional practice of Pharmaceutical Care should not be understood only as an activity, but as a new way of thinking, being and acting for pharmacists’ practitioners [4]. The term Comprehensive Medication Management (CMM), which is the operationalization of pharmaceutical care practice into a health service, is defined as the care standard that ensures each patient’s medications (whether they are prescription, nonprescription, alternative, traditional, vitamins, or nutritional supplements) are individually assessed to determine that each medication is appropriate for the patient, effective for the medical condition, safe given the comorbidities and other medications being taken, and able to be taken by the patient as intended [5]
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