Exploring pharmacists’ orientation towards patients in Portuguese community pharmacies

ABSTRACT

Background: Patient-centered care has been associated with improved patient outcomes and healthcare satisfaction. The present study aimed to explore pharmacy practitioners’ orientation to patients in daily work, as well as job satisfaction as a possible associated factor.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a sample of Portuguese community pharmacists was used for gathering participants’ demographics, professional and work-related data, self-perceived level of technical and relational competences, and the importance ascribed to these skills. The Portuguese version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) and a Portuguese reduced version of a Healthcare Job Satisfaction Scale completed the on-line questionnaire.

Results: A sample of 274 respondents comprised 81.1% females, with a mean age of 37.2 years, 11.6 years of work experience on average, and subject to a work intensity of 5.36 clients per hour, mainly for counter dispensing (73.0%). Overall, technical competences were significantly more important than relational ones, but practitioners with fewer experience self-perceived as weaker in communication competences. Females scored higher in relational competences importance as well as in PPOS (p < 0.05). No significant difference in PPOS was found between pharmacists with more and less direct interaction with patients, but higher when performing consultation services (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: The existing orientation to patients seems to be under the desired levels and independent of community pharmacists’ work intensity, nevertheless linked with work experience and differentiated patient services. Although professionals might recognize the importance of relational competencies to provide patient-centered care and achieve better outcomes, it is essential to promote clinical training amongst community pharmacists.

KEYWORDS:

• Community pharmacists
• patient-centeredness
• communication competencies
• pharmacy services
• Portugal

Acknowledgements

Authors would like to thank all study participants as well as the Portuguese Pharmaceutical Society (Ordem dos Farmacêuticos) in the person of its President, Profª Ana Paula Martins, for the invaluable support to this research.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Afonso Miguel Cavaco

Afonso Cavaco holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacy Practice and Policy. Dr. Cavaco is an associate professor in Social Pharmacy and Health Communication at the Faculty of Pharmacy University of Lisbon, Portugal. He has more than 60 indexed peer-reviewed publications. His main interests are in teaching and researching health communication, medication usage, and patient safety.

Ana Grilo

Ana Grilo holds a Ph.D. in Psychology. Dr. Grilo is an adjunct professor in Social and Human Sciences at the Lisbon School of Health Technology, Portugal. She has 18 published research items. Her main interests are in health psychology and communication research, as well as allied healthcare education and training.

Luisa Barros

Luisa Barros holds a Ph.D. in Psychology. Professor Barros is a full professor in Psychology, at the Faculty of Psychology University of Lisbon, Portugal. She has published more than 150 items. Her main interests comprise teaching and researching in psychotherapeutic processes, psychological assessment, and child health.