ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE To provide reference for strengthening the quality of pharmaceutical care in retail chain pharmacies and the professional capabilities of licensed pharmacists， and to meet the public’s pharmaceutical care needs. METHODS A combination of questionnaire survey and informant interview was used to investigate the general information of licensed pharmacists in retail chain pharmacies in Guangdong province， the implementation of pharmaceutical care， the competence and knowledge status of the surveyed licensed pharmacists， and the factors affecting the development of pharmaceutical care. RESULTS & CONCLUSIONS A total of 444 questionnaires were sent out and 326 effective questionnaires were collected， with an effective recovery rate of 73.42%. Among 326 surveyed licensed pharmacists， a college degree or higher accounted for 40.18%， and the pharmacy major or related accounted for 79.75%. A total of 185 （56.75%） of the surveyed licensed pharmacists indicated that the retail chain pharmacies where they worked had established specified areas of pharmaceutical care； 320 （98.16%）， 137 （42.02%） and 181 （55.52%） of the surveyed licensed pharmacists indicated that the retail chain pharmacies where they worked could provide services such as rational medication guidance for patients， decocting traditional Chinese medicines and establishing health records， etc. The self-assessment scores of the surveyed licensed pharmacists were significantly higher than 3 （median） for competence and knowledge level， but the self-assessment scores for medication therapy management competence and pharmaceutical care practice were relatively low. The surveyed licensed pharmacists believed that the main factors affecting the development of pharmaceutical care in retail chain pharmacies included patients’ lack of trust or cooperation （196， 60.12%）， sales performance requirements （170， 52.15%）， and heavy daily workload （165， 50.61%）. It is recommended that relevant authorities expedite the legislative process of the Pharmacist Law， optimize the continuing education system for licensed pharmacists， and implement a star-rating evaluation system for pharmaceutical care capabilities in pharmacies， so as to encourage retail chain pharmacies and licensed pharmacists to pursue a more specialized development path. At the same time， pharmaceutical retail chain enterprises should shift their business mindset， increase investment in pharmaceutical care， enhance the professional atmosphere in the pharmacies， optimize the compensation structure for licensed pharmacists， and elevate the pharmaceutical care capabilities of both the pharmacies and licensed pharmacists to fulfill the pharmaceutical care needs of the public.