The role of the community pharmacist — a survey of public opinion in Northern Ireland

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Abstract
Data from a survey of 906 members of the public (570 females, 336 males; age range 13–90 years) with regard to opinions on, and use of present and proposed community pharmacy services are presented. It was shown that the majority of people (67.7 per cent) visit pharmacies at least once a month. Females visit pharmacies more frequently than males (P<0.05). Respondents who were less than 25 years old were more likely than older age groups to purchase non-prescription medicines from pharmacies although they were less likely to use the same pharmacy (P<0.05). Proximity to a person's home was the major deciding factor for patronising a particular pharmacy (43.7 per cent). The major factor determining choice of non-prescription medicines was previous use (34.7 per cent), with pharmacist's advice (29.3 per cent) the second most frequent response. For a range of common minor ailments, respondents were more likely to seek their doctor's advice or self-treat the condition than seek advice from the pharmacist. With respect to extended role activities, 93.4 per cent felt that the pharmacist had a role to play in health education, the provision of individualised advice being the most frequently noted method for this (34.6 per cent). Health screening services were highly supported (90.6 per cent), as was the maintenance of patient medication records (93.6 per cent). A greater proportion of the younger age group (<25 years old) than the older age groups supported the provision of health screening services (P<0.05). In response to a question on services that the public would like to see provided by community pharmacists, the most popular responses were: giving more advice on the treatment of minor ailments and the provision of a private consultation area within the pharmacy. Overall, the results show a positive response to the current and future use of community based pharmaceutical services.

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