Patients' attitudes towards using a question prompt list in community pharmacies.

OBJECTIVE: To explore patients' usage rate and perceived usefulness and benefits of a question prompt list (QPL) when collecting prescribed medication in community pharmacies. METHODS: Data were collected in Swedish pharmacies using questionnaires and semi-structured interviews with patients. The Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used, and the outcomes were usage rate, factors impacting on use, and perceived ease of use, usefulness, and benefits of self-reported question-asking and self-perceived medication knowledge. Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were performed, and qualitative data were analyzed thematically with the TAM. RESULTS: Out of 145 patients filling out the questionnaire, 72 (50.0%) reported they had used the QPL. Patients with new prescriptions and non-native Swedish speakers used the QPL more often (p = 0.03; p = 0.009, respectively). The QPL was quick to read (86.3%) and easy to understand (91.4%). Forty percent stated that they asked more questions, and self-reported users scored higher on self-perceived medication knowledge. In the interviews (n = 14), the QPL was described as an eye-opener as to what one could ask the pharmacist. CONCLUSIONS: Patients were willing to use a QPL in community pharmacies. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: A QPL in pharmacies might improve patients' engagement medication knowledge, as well as showcase the expertise of pharmacists.

Making medication communication visible in community pharmacies-pharmacists' experience using a question prompt list in the patient meeting.

BACKGROUND: Even though patient engagement in the pharmacy encounter is low, few studies focus on activating patients. A Question Prompt List (QPL) has been used successfully in other parts of healthcare to encourage patients to raise their questions and concerns. For a QPL to be useful in a pharmacy setting, it first must be considered valuable and be accepted by pharmacists. OBJECTIVE: To investigate the experience of community pharmacists using a QPL in counseling patients about prescribed medications. METHODS: An explorative, qualitative study was conducted in 2020. A QPL, for use in pharmacy counseling, was developed based on previous literature. Semi-structured interviews were held with pharmacists. A thematic analysis approach was conducted, and the analytical framework Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) was used. RESULTS: Data were collected in 7 Swedish community pharmacies in interviews with 29 purposefully selected pharmacists. Three themes were identified: Perceived usefulness: the impact of the QPL on patient activation in the encounter, Perceived ease of use of the QPL in pharmacies, and Increasing the perceived usefulness and ease of use of the QPL. The pharmacists perceived patients as more active in the meeting when using the QPL. The list focused the conversation on medications, which the pharmacists appreciated from a professional point of view. They described the QPL as a useful tool that could easily be integrated into the dispensing process and required little training; however, challenges described were, for example, time constraints and stress. CONCLUSIONS: Pharmacists reported that using a QPL improved patient participation in the encounter. Encouraging counseling on medications was seen as beneficial from a professional point of view. In the early adoption phase, the QPL was easy to implement and did not increase the pharmacists' workload. A QPL appears to be a promising tool for pharmacists to improve the quality of the consultation experience.

Interprofessional education on complex patients in nursing homes: a focus group study.

BACKGROUND: An ageing population leads up to increasing multi-morbidity and polypharmacy. This demands a comprehensive and interprofessional approach in meeting patients' complex needs. This study describes graduate students' experiences of working practice based in interprofessional teams with complex patients' care needs in nursing homes. METHOD: Students from advanced geriatric nursing, clinical nutrition, dentistry, medicine and pharmacy at the University of Oslo in Norway were assigned to groups to examine and develop a care plan for a nursing home patient during a course. Focus groups were used, 21 graduate students participating in four groups. Data were collected during spring 2018, were inductively analysed according to a thematic analysis method (Systematic Text Condensation). An analytical framework of co-ordination practices was applied to get an in-depth understanding of the data. RESULTS: Three themes were identified: 1) Complex patients as learning opportunities- an eye-opener for future interprofessional collaboration 2) A cobweb of relations, and 3) Structural facilitators for new collective knowledge. Graduate university students experienced interprofessional education (IPE) on complex patients in nursing homes as a comprehensive learning arena. Overall, different co-ordination practices for work organization among the students were identified. CONCLUSIONS: IPE in nursing homes facilitated the students' scope from a fragmented approach of the patients towards a relational and collaborative practice that can improve patient care and strengthen understanding of IPE. The study also demonstrated the need for preparatory teamwork training to gain maximum benefit from the experience. Something that can be organized by the education institutions in the form of a stepwise learning module and as an online pre-training course in interprofessional teamwork. Further, focusing on the need for well thought through processes of the activity by the institutions and the timing the practice component in students' curricula. This could ensure that IPE is experienced more efficient by the students.

Patients' perceptions of medicines information received at hospital discharge in Norway: a qualitative interview study.

Background Insufficient transfer of medicines information is a common challenge at discharge from hospital. Following discharge, home dwelling patients are expected to manage their medicines themselves and adequate counselling is an important prerequisite for patient empowerment and self-efficacy for medicines management. Objective The aim was to identify patients' needs for medicines information after discharge from hospital, including the patients' perception and appraisal of the information they received at discharge. Setting The study enrolled patients discharged from three medical wards at a secondary care hospital in Oslo, Norway. Method Patients were included at the hospital, at or close to the day of discharge and qualitative, semi-structured interviews were performed during the first 2 weeks after discharge. Eligible patients were receiving medicines treatment on admission and after discharge, were handling the medicines themselves, and discharged to their own home. Data were collected in 2017. Interviews were analysed with thematic analysis inspired by Systematic Text Condensation. Main outcome measure Patients' perceptions of medicines information. Results In total, 12 patients were interviewed. They were discharged in equal numbers from the three wards, representing both sexes and a broad age range. Patients perceive medicines information as a continuum and not limited to specific encounters, like the discharge conversation. They gain information in several ways; by receiving information from health care professionals, through observations, and by seeking it themselves. Some thought they could have been better informed about adverse reactions and how to manage life while being a medicines user. Others felt they did not want or need more information. Patients employ various strategies for coping with their use of medicines, influencing their self-efficacy towards medicine management. Conclusion Medicines information should focus on empowering the patients throughout the hospital stay and not solely at discharge, taking into account the individual patient's needs for information, preferences and prior knowledge.