Medical role-task boundary maintenance: physicians' opinions on clinical pharmacy

Mailed questionnaires were analyzed for 100 physicians concerning their favorability toward allowing clinical pharmacists to perform role tasks which potentially encroach on the physician's role. A Guttman Scale of Task Favorability was computed and revealed that physicians were unfavourable to those pharmacy tasks that allow pharmacists to make independent technical-therapy decisions. Physicians were favorable toward clerical and patient-management tasks, but only as adjunct tasks to the physician's role. Generally, older physicians, those with a high risk of malpractice suit and those who write a large number of prescriptions, were least favorable to pharmacists expanding their roles. Younger physicians, those who spend a high proportion of their practice time in hospitals and those who have had previous experience with clinical pharmacists were most favorable. The analysis was framed in the theoretical context of professional power and professional role-boundary maintenance.