Extending the role of community pharmacists: The views of GPs

Abstract

A questionnaire-based postal survey was used to ascertain views of general practitioners (GPs) on community pharmacists and an extension of their role. The questionnaire included attitude scales and open-ended questions. It was sent to the 368 GPs of the South and West Devon health commission area. There was an 81.2 per cent response rate. The questionnaire attained adequate internal consistency (Cronbach Alpha = 0.87). Non-responders differed from responders only in that non-responders were more likely to be in urban than rural practices. Eighty-four per cent of respondents agreed that 'Pharmacists as first point of contact for many people are ideally placed to provide health education;' 19 per cent agreed that 'Pharmacists should stick to dispensing and not venture into other areas of medicine;' 27 per cent would accept a pharmacist as a partner in their practice; 31 per cent felt that pharmacies should usually be located within medical practices; and 30 per cent felt that 'Pharmacists are too influenced by commercial pressures to give unbiased advice about minor illness.' Eighty-one per cent of respondents agreed to pharmacists monitoring repeat prescriptions while 14 per cent agreed to pharmacists running lithium management clinics. Respondents expressed a desire for more communication and involvement of pharmacists in the primary health team. Concerns were expressed about accountability, training and the problems of favouring one pharmacy over another. We conclude that GPs have a positive attitude towards community pharmacists, their inclusion into the primary health care team and an extension of their role in relation to medicines, but there was little support for the idea of pharmacists undertaking screening and running therapeutic monitoring clinics.