Pharmacists’ Perspectives on Interprofessional Collaboration with Physicians in Poland: A Quantitative Study

Łucja Zielińska-Tomczak, Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska, Piotr Przymuszała, Natalia Gałązka and Ryszard Marciniak
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Łucja Zielińska-Tomczak: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St., 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Magdalena Cerbin-Koczorowska: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St., 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Piotr Przymuszała: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St., 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Natalia Gałązka: Students’ Scientific Club of Medical Education, Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 60-806 Poznan, Poland
Ryszard Marciniak: Department of Medical Education, Poznan University of Medical Sciences, 7 Rokietnicka St., 60-806 Poznan, Poland

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 18, 1-13

Abstract: Over the years, many studies have emphasized the pharmacist’s importance as part of the patient care team. Still, the interprofessional collaboration between physicians and pharmacists in their everyday work seems rare. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the types of contact between them, possible mutual collaboration, and barriers to implementation. This study was conducted from April to August 2020. The study group included licensed pharmacists working in community pharmacies in Poland ( n = 207). The results show that, according to the respondents, physician–pharmacist contact mainly concerns formal aspects, such as correcting prescription errors. They occasionally communicate for other matters, such as consultation regarding drug availability and drug dosage. However, when asked to divide responsibilities between them and physicians, pharmacists indicate areas that should involve interprofessional collaboration, e.g., monitoring adverse drug reactions, analysis of multi-drug therapy, and checking the regularity of taking medications. They indicated the lack of specific collaboration rules, limited willingness to establish relationships and low mutual respect and trust among existing barriers. It is worth considering the possibility of overcoming these barriers provided by interprofessional education in order to develop communication skills and build relationships based on respect.

Keywords: interprofessional collaboration; physician–pharmacist collaboration; collaboration barriers; community pharmacists (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:18:y:2021:i:18:p:9686-:d:635416

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