Over-the-counter medicines: professional expertise and consumer discourses

Ideas of participation and partnership in health care consultations have attracted increasing attention in recent years; however the consequences in terms of the necessary shifts in existing relationships are often overlooked. We examine how pharmacists work to maintain their professional expertise against the rise of health-care consumerism. We draw on the following data from a UK study of consultations for over-the-counter (OTC) medicines in two pharmacies: (i) an outline of the pharmacy owners' views of their practice model, (ii) data from observations and tape recorded consultations (iii) interviews with customers and pharmacists and (iv) views expressed in two feedback sessions discussing vignettes developed from observational and interview-based fieldwork. There was no suggestion that attempts to engage customers in discussions about their treatment necessitated a diminution of the importance of pharmaceutical expertise. Indeed, both pharmacists and customers acknowledged the importance of the asymmetry of knowledge between pharmacists and customers. Pharmaceutical expertise was however not always perceived to be necessary and transactions in pharmacies may be treated like those in any other retail environment. Further research using a larger dataset to investigate problems in interactions resulting from tensions between pharmaceutical expertise and consumerism is indicated.