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Exploring consumer and pharmacist views on the professional role of the pharmacist with respect to natural health products: a study of focus groups Kwan, Della; Boon, Heather S; Hirschkorn, Kristine; Welsh, Sandy; Jurgens, Tannis; Eccott, Lynda; Heschuk, Shirley; Griener, Glenn G; Cohen-Kohler, Jillian C

Abstract

Background: Natural health products (NHPs) such as herbs, vitamins and homeopathic medicines, are currently available for sale in most Canadian pharmacies. However, most pharmacists report that they have limited knowledge about these products which have been regulated in Canada as a specific sub-category of drugs. In this paper, consumers' and practicing pharmacists' perceptions of pharmacists' professional responsibilities with respect to NHPs are examined. Methods A total of 16 focus groups were conducted with consumers (n = 50) and pharmacists (n = 47) from four different cities across Canada (Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and Halifax). Results In this paper, we illustrate the ways in which pharmacists' professional responsibilities are impacted by changing consumer needs. Many consumers in the study utilized a wide range of information resources that may or may not have included pharmacists. Nevertheless, the majority of consumers and pharmacists agreed that pharmacists should be knowledgeable about NHPs and felt that pharmacists should be able to manage drug-NHPs interactions as well as identify and evaluate the variety of information available to help consumers make informed decisions. Conclusion This paper demonstrates that consumers' expectations and behaviour significantly impact pharmacists' perceptions of their professional responsibilities with respect to NHPs.

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Title
Exploring consumer and pharmacist views on the professional role of the pharmacist with respect to natural health products: a study of focus groups
Creator
Kwan, Della; Boon, Heather S; Hirschkorn, Kristine; Welsh, Sandy; Jurgens, Tannis; Eccott, Lynda; Heschuk, Shirley; Griener, Glenn G; Cohen-Kohler, Jillian C
Publisher
BioMed Central
Date Issued
2008-07-14
Description
Background: Natural health products (NHPs) such as herbs, vitamins and homeopathic medicines, are currently available for sale in most Canadian pharmacies. However, most pharmacists report that they have limited knowledge about these products which have been regulated in Canada as a specific sub-category of drugs. In this paper, consumers' and practicing pharmacists' perceptions of pharmacists' professional responsibilities with respect to NHPs are examined. Methods A total of 16 focus groups were conducted with consumers (n = 50) and pharmacists (n = 47) from four different cities across Canada (Vancouver, Edmonton, Toronto, and Halifax). Results In this paper, we illustrate the ways in which pharmacists' professional responsibilities are impacted by changing consumer needs. Many consumers in the study utilized a wide range of information resources that may or may not have included pharmacists. Nevertheless, the majority of consumers and pharmacists agreed that pharmacists should be knowledgeable about NHPs and felt that pharmacists should be able to manage drug-NHPs interactions as well as identify and evaluate the variety of information available to help consumers make informed decisions. Conclusion This paper demonstrates that consumers' expectations and behaviour significantly impact pharmacists' perceptions of their professional responsibilities with respect to NHPs.
Genre
Article
Type
Text
Language
eng
Date Available
2015-10-22
Provider
Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
Rights
Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)
DOI
10.14288/1.0132592
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/2429/54972
Affiliation
Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of; Non UBC
Citation
BMC Complementary and Alternative Medicine. 2008 Jul 14;8(1):40
Publisher DOI
10.1186/1472-6882-8-40
Peer Review Status
Reviewed
Scholarly Level
Faculty
Copyright Holder
Kwan et al.
Rights URI
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
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Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0)