Int J Pharm Pract 2002:3:17-22
The Pharmacy School, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, England NG7 2RD
Claire Anderson PhD, MRPharmS, director of pharmacy practice and social pharmacy
Brent North Primary Care Group, London
Rashmi Rajyaguru MSc, MRPharmS, pharmaceutical adviser
Correspondence:
Dr Anderson
Claire.Anderson@nottingham.ac.uk
Original Papers
The role of community pharmacists and medicines counter assistants in health promotion: reflections from a folic acid campaign
CLAIRE ANDERSON and RASHMI RAJYAGURU
Context — In the UK in 1996, the National Pharmaceutical Association collaborated with the Health Education Authority to pilot a resource pack that would enable community pharmacists and their medicines counter assistants to contribute to the promotion of the use of folic acid in planned pregnancyObjective — To determine the views of pharmacists and medicines counter assistants about the use of the resource pack
Method — Depth interviews were carried out to elicit views, underlying feelings, experiences and attitudes towards staging and managing the project. The data were analysed using the constant comparison as outlined in grounded theory. Themes were identified and quotes from interviewees used to illustrate the themes
Setting — 14 pharmacists and 14 medicines counter assistants in a West London health authority
Key findings — Most pharmacists and medicines counter assistants reported feeling more comfortable when advising regular customers rather than unknown customers. Leaflets, posters and displays were thought to be better ways to target passing trade. The majority of the minority ethnic pharmacists and medicines counter assistants considered that they had an important role in communicating information about folic acid to customers from minority ethnic groups, provided they both spoke the same language
Conclusion — Most pharmacists will only raise sensitive issues, such as the importance of taking folic acid to prevent neural tube defects, with customers with whom they already have a relationship. Stimulating inquiries from passing trade by targeting with leaflets, displays and other health education resources offers an additional benefit. Pharmacies are an important setting for disseminating health messages to people from minority ethnic groups in their own languages