The Meaning of Community Pharmacy Records
Research type
Research Study
Full title
The Meaning of Community Pharmacy Records in the Context of Person-centred Care
IRAS ID
213845
Contact name
Timothy Harrison
Contact email
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 4 months, 30 days
Research summary
The expertise of the pharmacist in the 19th and early 20th centuries was grounded in the need to prepare a medicine in a suitable formulation for use by the patient, a role that has been obviated by the development of the pharmaceutical industry .It is widely acknowledged that the role of the community pharmacist has shifted from that of being an expert in producing medicines to being an advisor on their safe and effective use. It is therefore of concern that recent literature suggests pharmacists perceive barriers to the use and maintenance of records that document advice and care provided to patients. This means that patient care could be compromised resulting from under-utilisation of records as a means of documenting and evidencing pharmaceutical care that has been provided.
The rationale for the proposed research is founded upon the hypothesis that the meaning ascribed by pharmacists to record-keeping practices may be associated with traditional and historic roles. Therefore, the question this research seeks to address is whether the development of patient-centred roles is currently being impeded by attitudinal barriers. It is argued that a greater understanding of attitudes towards record-keeping will help to identify and resolve existing barriers among pharmacists that currently detract from offering patient-focused roles.
The study will be conducted within a part-time PhD research programme. In Phase 1, 25 depth interviews will be conducted with community pharmacists to explore the meaning of records as a tool to support professional activity. In Phase 2, interviews will be conducted with up to 25 healthcare professionals including doctors, nurses and carers, and representatives from service user groups. This will be in order to understand the expectations of health care professionals with regard to how they view the purpose and value of record-keeping within community pharmacies.
REC name
East of Scotland Research Ethics Service REC 2
REC reference
16/ES/0140
Date of REC Opinion
8 Dec 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion