Perspectives of general practitioners about a collaborative asthma care model in primary care

Abstract

Introduction

Asthma affects 2.7 million people in Australia and is predominantly managed by general practitioners (GPs) within primary care. Despite national focus on this condition, asthma control in the population is suboptimal, with many preventable hospitalizations. In the light of robust evidence supporting the role of pharmacists in the management of chronic diseases including asthma, the Australian Medical Association (AMA) proposed a General Practice Pharmacist (GPP) model in 2015. In this proposal, a non-dispensing pharmacist, co-located within the primary care setting and collaborating with GPs and allied health professionals, can make a positive impact on patients’ health and minimize costs due to medication misadventure. The aim of this study was to obtain the views of GPs regarding the GPP model for better management of asthma in a qualitative study.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 23 GPs, audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and later analyzed for emergent themes. The GPs support the idea of a GPP as time and task pressures restrict them in adhering to asthma management guidelines.

Results

Support from another health professional in such a pressured environment can positively impact patient’s health. Funding, clear role delineation within general practice, training of pharmacists working as GPPs, and effective communication systems were described as the potential catalysts for the success of the model.

Conclusion

Sustainable funding and the willingness of practice owners/managers were described as the barriers. The GPs agreed that pharmacists can make a positive difference in patient’s asthma management once the barriers were effectively addressed.

Keywords:

• General practitioners
• asthma management
• primary care
• collaboration

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank all the participants of the study for their valuable time and input and The University of Sydney for infrastructure support.

Author contribution

The initial literature review was conducted by AQ. The interview guide was established by AQ under the supervision of BS. All the interviews were conducted by and analyzed by AQ. The coauthors (BS and CA) peer reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript.

Declaration of interest

There is no conflict of interest to declare.

Data availability

The data supporting the results of this study can be provided from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Notes

1 Medicare is a program by Australian Government Department of Human Services and provides Australian some health services at low to no cost.