General practitioners' perceptions of pharmacists working in general practice: a qualitative interview study.

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Primary Care Medicine
• Pharmaceutical Practice

Background:

• Pharmacist roles are expanding within primary care globally, offering clinical and economic advantages.
• Research on general practitioners' (GPs') views on integrating pharmacists is limited, particularly in emerging integration contexts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate GPs' perceptions of integrating pharmacists into general practices.
• To identify behavioral factors influencing GP acceptance of pharmacist integration.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semistructured interviews with 17 GPs in Ireland.
• Utilized purposive, convenience, and snowball sampling techniques.
• Analyzed interview transcripts using content analysis and the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF).

Main Results:

• GPs' perceptions were predominantly positive regarding patient outcomes, cost savings, and improved care access.
• Identified seven TDF domains influencing perceptions.
• Concerns were raised about funding, impact on existing workloads, and necessary pharmacist training.

Conclusions:

• Theory-informed insights enhance understanding of GP perceptions and behavioral determinants for pharmacist integration.
• Findings can guide future service development to address GP concerns and optimize the design of general practice-based pharmacist roles.