Topics pharmacy staff deliver information about at the counter. A quantitative analysis based on data from videos with patients

Abstract

Abstract Background Pharmacy staff are the health care providers who interact with patients just prior to patients’ medication intake, which gives the workforce considerable responsibility for patients’ safe use of medicine. Aim To identify the topics that staff deliver information about in a counselling situation when patients with chronic diseases pick up medication at community pharmacies, and to identify how this information compares to international pharmacy practice research. Method A descriptive, quantitative study based on data from verbatim transcripts of 64 video-recorded prescription encounters. The frequency of topics in the counselling situation was calculated in actual numbers and percentage. Results The most common information provided was about practical issues for using medicine safely for first time-prescribing patients (6 times, 19%) and for refill patients (19 times, 62%). For first-time and refill-prescribing patients, the most common information was on treatment of the disease (6 times, 32%). Logistics was the second-highest prioritized topic for refill patients (17 times, 61%) and for first-time prescription medicine collected by relatives (6 times, 21%). Conclusion Pharmacy staff primarily deliver practical information on how to ensure safe and effective use of medicine, which corresponds to trends reported in international pharmacy practice research.