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Pharmacy World & Science

, Volume 32, Issue 4, pp 455–463 | Cite as

Counselling behaviour and content in a pharmaceutical care service in Swedish community pharmacies

  • Anna T. MontgomeryEmail author
  • Åsa Kettis Lindblad
  • Pernilla Eddby
  • Emelie Söderlund
  • Mary P. Tully
  • Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong
Research Article
First Online:

Abstract

Objective To characterise the counselling behaviour of practitioners providing a pharmaceutical care (PC) service in community pharmacy, and to describe the content of the consultations. Setting Community pharmacies in Sweden. Methods Non-participant observations, including audio recording, of five practitioners in five different pharmacies counselling 16 patients, were analysed qualitatively using an iterative, stepwise, interpretivist approach. Main outcome measure Descriptions of counselling behaviour and content of consultations. Results The counselling behaviour was characterised by attempts to understand the patients’ narratives by listening and asking questions and a willingness to help. The computer often had an important role in consultations, being used for documentation and as a supportive tool for identification of drug–drug interactions. The practitioners often took command in the initial phase of the consultation, and omitted to determine the patients’ most urgent drug-related needs. However, counselling behaviour that identified and focused on the patient’s needs, giving the computer little attention during the consultation was also observed. Practitioners provided vague descriptions of the purpose and outline of the service. Consultations included a wide variety of issues, which potentially could help patients’ achieve optimal outcomes of medical treatment. Conclusion The practitioners provided important advice and different forms of support to patients. Focus on the computer screen limited their abilities to practise patient centred care.

Keywords

Community pharmacy Observational study Pharmaceutical care Pharmacist consultations Qualitative research Sweden 
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Notes

Acknowledgements

We thank the practitioners who were willing to be observed in their daily work and the patients whose consultations were observed.

Funding

This study was funded by Apoteket AB. The funding received did not in any way impact on the study design or the interpretations of the results.

Conflicts of interest

Two of the authors; Anna Montgomery and Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong, were employed by Apoteket AB when the study was carried out. They were not involved in the provision of the pharmaceutical care service in any community pharmacy.

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Copyright information

© Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  • Anna T. Montgomery
    • 1
    • 2
    Email author
  • Åsa Kettis Lindblad
    • 1
    • 3
  • Pernilla Eddby
    • 1
  • Emelie Söderlund
    • 1
  • Mary P. Tully
    • 1
    • 4
  • Sofia Kälvemark Sporrong
    • 1
    • 2
    • 5
  1. 1.Department of PharmacyUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
  2. 2.Apoteket ABStockholmSweden
  3. 3.Quality and Evaluation UnitUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden
  4. 4.School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical SciencesUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUK
  5. 5.Department of Public Health and Caring SciencesUppsala UniversityUppsalaSweden

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