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Perceptions around concordance--focus groups and semi-structured interviews conducted with consumers, pharmacists and
Jasmina Bajramovic1, Lynne Emmerton, Susan E Tett
1School of Pharmacy, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Qld, Australia.
Summary
Understanding patient and healthcare provider beliefs is key to improving treatment adherence and satisfaction. This study explored these views among Australian general practitioners, consumers, and pharmacists to enhance healthcare concordance.
Area of Science:
- Health Services Research
- Patient Adherence Studies
- Qualitative Health Research
Background:
- Achieving treatment concordance, by aligning beliefs about illness and medication, can improve patient behavior, satisfaction, and health outcomes.
- Understanding the perspectives of all stakeholders is crucial for effective healthcare delivery.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the beliefs and expectations of general practitioners (GPs), consumers, and pharmacists regarding treatment concordance in Australia.
- To inform the implementation of concordance principles within Australian healthcare settings.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative analysis of focus group and semi-structured interview data.
- Data collected from 7 consumers, 9 pharmacists via focus groups, and 10 GPs via interviews in Brisbane, Australia (February-May 2003).
Main Results:
- Consumers desire more information, discussion time, and harmonious inter-professional relationships for a consumer-friendly system.
- Pharmacists emphasized the need for better healthcare system organization to facilitate quality information sharing.
- GPs highlighted the need for improved information sharing, more time for quality care, and remuneration for inter-professional communication.
Conclusions:
- Findings will guide the development of models for incorporating concordance principles into Australian pharmacy and medical practice.
- Improved information sharing and shared decision-making are suggested pathways to achieve concordance.