The role of the Danish community pharmacist: perceptions and future scenarios

In recent decades, dramatic changes of the role of the Danish community pharmacist have contributed to widespread uncertainty among professionals about the future content of their job. This case study, which is based on qualitative research interviews and documentary material, describes how key actors belonging to 10 different relevant social groups who have been influential in shaping the role of Danish community pharmacists have different perceptions of the pharmacy profession. These perceptions include: the community pharmacist as a provider of technical, standardised advice, the pharmacist as a drug expert, the pharmacist as a leader, and the pharmacist as a provider of individualized advice. Five future scenarios for the community pharmacist ranging from a role as a pharmacist with no future to a role as the provider of individualized information and future role developer are also described and analysed in the paper. The case study is theoretically based on a specific social constructivist theory, the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT).