Being healthcare provider and retailer: perceiving and managing tensions in community pharmacy

Abstract

AbstractBackgroundInternationally, pharmaceutical policy has heightened expectations for community pharmacies to act as healthcare professionals, increasing the need to understand the health professional–retailer nexus. Literature suggests that pharmacy involves a dichotomy of roles including both retailing and healthcare provision, yet it is unknown whether pharmacists themselves perceive a tension between these roles and how such a tension might be managed.AimTo explore whether there is tension between being retailers and healthcare providers in community pharmacy and to understand how any such tension is perceived and managed.MethodsTen in‐depth semi‐structured interviews were conducted with pharmacist owners and managers of community pharmacies in New Zealand. General inductive thematic analysis was undertaken to gain insight from the data.ResultsPharmacists experienced tension between being healthcare providers and being retailers. In total, eight themes were derived from this study. Four themes emerged to describe the tension: (i) balancing roles; (ii) tension – what tension?; (iii) we give a lot for free; and (iv) too much bureaucracy and paperwork. Four themes for managing tension were identified: (i) imparting of owner beliefs; (ii) use of incentives; (iii) effective business management skills; and (iv) being entrepreneurial.ConclusionThis paper is expected to assist in helping policy‐makers and practitioners be aware of the role of tensions when policies are implemented to move pharmacists from a retailer role to healthcare provider. This paper aids in policy development and should inform professional practice and forthcoming business management training programs for community pharmacy.