Health and lifestyle advice in community pharmacy for musculoskeletal conditions: a focused ethnography

Abstract

Abstract Introduction Musculoskeletal health conditions are common, painful, and disabling, and often occur alongside other long-term conditions. Around a third of the UK population live with a musculoskeletal condition placing a huge burden on health and social care resources, accounting for 1 in 7 general practitioner consultations.[1] Primary care often focuses on using safe but less effective pharmacological approaches (e.g., paracetamol) despite evidence-based recommendations for self-management and lifestyle support being more effective, particularly in the context of pain management. However, access to such support is not always available or adequate. Community pharmacy is recognised for its important and well positioned setting for the delivery of public health promotion, supporting people to improve their health and live well through the Healthy Living Pharmacy Framework. Despite policy recommendations for an extended role in supporting people to self-manage long-term conditions and to adopt healthier behaviours, we currently do not know how community pharmacy manages and supports lifestyle advice in practice, particularly in relation to musculoskeletal health. Aim To gain an in-depth insight into community pharmacy daily practice in relation to the delivery of health and lifestyle advice, in order to examine community pharmacy’s current and future potential for supporting musculoskeletal health conditions. Methods An in-depth multi-site ethnographic approach was used across four community pharmacies differing in geographical and socioeconomic areas in England (April 2023 – October 2023). Data included 92 hours of observations within community pharmacies observing everyday practice and customer interactions, and 19 in-person semi-structured interviews (participants included counter assistants, dispensers, technicians and pharmacists). Results were analysed iteratively using analytic induction.[2] Results The provision of lifestyle advice was seen as awkward by staff members and problematic in consultations where advice was deemed unsolicited by customers, particularly in relation to sensitive topics such as weight or alcohol use. Pharmacists were generally more confident including lifestyle advice within appointments in the consultation room, and embedding behaviour change messages within an overall health check. Nevertheless, they lacked knowledge and training with regards to support and lifestyle advice specific for musculoskeletal health conditions. Observed over-the-counter interactions with customers were often complicated in terms of opportunities for staff to offer lifestyle advice, with encounters concerning pain relief medication at times resulting in tense and arduous consultations. Staff often found the experience of trying to offer lifestyle advice uncomfortable and challenging, leaving many feeling demotivated and lacking in confidence and as a result avoid introducing lifestyle advice into conversations. Conclusion Community pharmacy staff recognised the importance of the provision of lifestyle advice but experienced many barriers to its delivery. Increasing demands on community pharmacy with new services have implications with regards to capacity, time and skills development to effectively imbed lifestyle advice into everyday practice. Pharmacy staff may benefit from enhanced support and training to increase confidence and motivation in providing lifestyle advice, particularly relating to understanding musculoskeletal health and effective self-management strategies.