Int J Pharm Pract 1999;7:256-63

Department of General Practice and Primary Care, University of Aberdeen, Foresterhill Health Centre, Westburn Road, Aberdeen, Scotland AB25 2AY
Catriona Matheson, PhD, MRPharmS, research fellow
Christine M Bond, PhD, MRPharmS, senior lecturer

Correspondence: Dr Matheson c.i.math@abdn.ac.uk

Original Papers

Motivations for and barriers to community pharmacy services for drug misusers

CATRIONA MATHESON and CHRISTINE M. BOND

Objective - To investigate what motivated pharmacists to provide drug misuse services and, conversely, what barriers prevented service provision.
Method - Telephone interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 45 volunteering respondents to a national questionnaire survey to gain in-depth information.
Setting - Forty-five community pharmacists in Scotland.
Key findings - Pharmacists were found to be motivated to provide services by an awareness of the needs of the community, a desire to reduce the spread of blood-borne diseases and a desire to expand their professional services. Barriers to service provision were concerns for the effect on other customers, safety, workload and poor remuneration.
Conclusion - The active encouragement of local health boards, professional endorsement, further education and remuneration might encourage pharmacists' participation in drug misuse services. This would enable the principles of harm reduction to be widely practised.