Interaction between community pharmacists and community nurses in dementia care

There has been little research that explores the interaction between community pharmacists and community nurses and how this interaction could benefit people affected by dementia. Using information taken from a larger study, this article presents the views of community pharmacists and one community nurse on how their communication, information sharing and team integration may improve care for this patient group. The community pharmacists reported positive attitudes to supporting people affected by dementia, but they highlighted barriers to integrated team working. In contrast, the community nurse conveyed the belief that the community pharmacist was an integrated member of the community health team. Community pharmacists and community nurses are keen to interact with each other to support people affected by dementia, but this interaction stops short of collaborative, integrated team working. Further research is needed to address this issue.