Community Pharmacists’ Medication Counseling and Perceptions of Private Counseling Areas

Abstract

Community pharmacists often need to communicate with private information during the medication counseling process with patients. This study aimed to survey current status of medication counseling and pharmacists’ perception on private counseling area in community pharmacies. 29-items questionnaire was used. Pharmacists working in community pharmacies were enrolled during May to June 2018. Descriptive statistical analysis were conducted using Microsoft Excel program. Of 118 respondents, 80.5% were older than 40, 11.9% were 6-year educated pharmacists, and 65.2% worked in small sized pharmacies less than 2 working pharmacists. 74.6% spent less than 3 minutes per prescription for medication counseling. 49.2% perceived their counseling is insufficient with major reasons of patients’ non-preference of detailed medication guidance and lack of pharmacist time. 96.6% provided medication counseling at open general counter, while 3.4% at general counter divided into partition and none at private counseling area. 61.9% experienced difficulties in counseling due to concerns about the leakage of patient s privacy. 51.7% agreed to necessity of private counseling area such as opaque partition for ensuring patient’s privacy. 57.6% agreed to set up a private counseling area in the future. Considering increased pharmacist role for caring patients in community and higher pharmacists’ perceptions on necessity of private counseling area, practical efforts to upgrade pharmacy’s space structure are expected.