Abstract
Introduction. Pharmacists play an important role in healthcare. Their functions are evolving and, in many countries, they actively participate in interdisciplinary patient treatment. One of the most common services provided by pharmacists as part of pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies involves medication reviews. Objective. The objective of this study was to evaluate the readiness of pharmacists to conduct medication reviews in community pharmacies. Materials and methods. This study comprises 493 pharmacists from community pharmacies in Poland. A questionnaire (developed for the purposes of this study) was used. It consisted of eight questions regarding readiness to conduct medication reviews, along with personal data. Results. A total of 63.9% of the pharmacists were ready to conduct medication reviews, and 23.1% already had experience in this area. Participants were of the opinion that this service should be funded by the Ministry of Health or a third-party public payer, and overall was valued by the participants at PLN 169.04 (SD = 280.77) net per patient. Conclusions. Pharmacists in Poland have expressed their readiness to conduct medical reviews. Implementation of this service in community pharmacies in Poland can have a significant impact on optimising patient health outcomes.
Highlights
Studies show that the active participation of pharmacists in patient treatment, along with the development of pharmaceutical care, significantly improve patient health outcomes, compared to standard therapies [4,5]
The study was carried out between 1 December 2020 and 28 February 2021, among pharmacists from community pharmacies in Poland, prior to the official announcement of a medicine use reviews (MUR) pilot project run by the Ministry of Health in Poland
The research tool was an anonymous online questionnaire consisting of 8 questions regarding readiness to conduct medication reviews, along with personal data
Summary
Throughout the years, the roles and perceptions of pharmacists in healthcare have evolved. Pharmacists dispense medicinal products, they in cooperation with therapeutic teams, have an active part in the patient treatment process [1,2,3]. Pharmacists, as one of the largest groups among medical professions, play an important role in public health in certain countries [1]. Studies show that the active participation of pharmacists in patient treatment, along with the development of pharmaceutical care, significantly improve patient health outcomes, compared to standard therapies [4,5]. In many countries the roles of pharmacists are much more developed [3], pharmacists in Poland have expressed their readiness to expand the scope of services they offer in community
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