Complementing or conflicting? How pharmacists and physicians position the community pharmacist.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare professional collaboration
• Social sciences in medicine

Background:

• Interprofessional collaboration between pharmacists and physicians in primary care is linked to improved patient outcomes.
• Positioning theory offers a framework to understand intergroup relations and professional self-perception.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify how community pharmacists position themselves and are positioned by general practitioners.
• To assess the alignment of these positions and their potential impact on collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using focus group interviews with 12 pharmacists and 10 physicians.
• Semi-structured interview guide and Systematic text condensation method for data analysis.
• Positioning theory applied to analyze professional self-perceptions and intergroup positioning.

Main Results:

• Pharmacists self-positioned as 'last line of defense,' 'bridge-builders,' 'outsiders,' and 'practical problem solvers.'
• Physicians positioned pharmacists as 'useful checkpoint,' 'non-clinicians,' and 'unknown.'
• Discrepancies noted in self-positioning versus physician-assigned positioning, with few physician-assigned roles supporting proactive pharmacist engagement.

Conclusions:

• Significant differences exist in how pharmacists and physicians perceive their roles, challenging effective collaboration.
• Physicians' perception of pharmacists as 'unknown' is a major barrier to collaboration.
• Enhancing mutual professional understanding is crucial for developing coordinated positions that support interprofessional collaboration.