ABSTRACT
Pharmacists and their
pharmacies have been evolving in their
roles as
health promoters in
Brazil. Some examples are the recent legislation reaffirming the
role of Brazilian
pharmacies as
health institutions, rather than having only a commercial profile, giving greater clarity to
pharmacists about their
roles as
health care providers. This evolution came with the recognition that is already seen in other
developed countries, confirming the need for the
pharmacist as a
health promoter, and not simply a dispenser of
drugs in society. This study has obtained the profile and activities of
community pharmacists, as well as the quality
indicators of private
community pharmacies throughout the
State of Paraná through the application of an online
survey sent to
pharmacists in the
state. Out of all
pharmacists surveyed, 533 were part of the final
analysis, being the
pharmacists to complete the
survey in full. Participants were mostly
female (69.4%) and were, on average, 35.2 ± 9.2 years old. Of these, 60% worked in
pharmacy chains and just 37% of all
pharmacist respondents were issuing the Declaration of
Pharmaceutical Services. The current study showed that many
pharmaceutical services are not adopted by
pharmacies as these services bring no significant financial
reward. Regarding the structure, the Paraná
State showed that
pharmacies present a good overall structure. The kind of
pharmacy (chain or independent) influenced the
pharmaceutical services provided and the available structure, where the independent
pharmacies provide a wider range of services and have better structure. This study was able to identify the profile and
behaviors of
pharmacists and also the quality
indicators of
pharmacies in Paraná
State.