Perspectives of Non-Pharmacy Professionals in Long-Term Care Facilities on Pharmacist-Involved Medication Management in South Korea: A Qualitative Study

Arim Kwak, Euni Lee, Jung Mi Oh, Eunhee Ji and Kyungim Kim
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Arim Kwak: College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 251l Sejong-ro, Sejong 30019, Korea
Euni Lee: Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
Jung Mi Oh: Seoul National University, 1 Gwanak-ro, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 08826, Korea
Eunhee Ji: College of Pharmacy and Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, College of Pharmacy, Gachon University, 191 Hambakmoero, Yeonsu-gu, Incheon 21936, Korea
Kyungim Kim: College of Pharmacy, Korea University, 251l Sejong-ro, Sejong 30019, Korea

IJERPH, 2019, vol. 16, issue 11, 1-14

Abstract: Despite a rapid increase in both the number of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and their residents in recent years, the concept of pharmacist-involved medication management is relatively new in South Korea. The objective of this study was to identify the perspectives of non-pharmacy professionals regarding the development of pharmacist-involved medication management in LTCFs. Employing a snowball sampling strategy, this study relied on semi-structured, one-on-one, in-depth interviews with twelve non-pharmacy professionals in LTCFs. The inductive thematic analysis and the constant comparative method were employed for the analysis. Participants revealed the need for pharmacist-involved medication management systems in LTCFs at the intrinsic and environmental levels. Through pharmacist-involved medication management, participants desired “medication review/reconciliation” and “pharmaceutical education/counseling”. The barriers to be overcome included “the authorization of pharmacists’ roles”, “the financial stability of LTCFs”, “role awareness among coworkers”, and “the professional development of pharmacists”. In this study, we advanced our understanding of non-pharmacy professionals’ perceptions of pharmacist-involved medication management in LTCFs. The results of this study can be applied in other Asian countries where the development of pharmacist-involved medication management for the institutionalized elderly is relatively new.

Keywords: pharmaceutical care; medication management; long-term care facility; public health; geriatric; South Korea; qualitative study (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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