Skip to main content

Table 3 Attitudes towards pharmacist-led patient self-management and extended role of pharmacists

From: Patient self-management and pharmacist-led patient self-management in Hong Kong: A focus group study from different healthcare professionals' perspectives

"Pharmacists can be part of the team but I don't think they can play a leading role. Physicians are still the leaders in disease management...Pharmacists have an important role in managing drug issues but they are not capable to give advice on other aspects." (Physician)

"I think both disease diagnosis and medications are important. Pharmacists are drug specialists but they are not as competent as physicians in disease diagnosis and treatment..." (TCM practitioner)

"...They are running a business. I doubt whether pharmacists would ask patients to go back to consult doctors. They need to sell their products."(TCM dispenser)

"Some patients don't know much about lifestyle modification...I can advise them what kinds of high cholesterol foods they should avoid... When they come over to buy blood pressure meters, I can teach them how to monitor their BP. All these services are free..." (Pharmacist)

"I agree with the pharmacist-led approach. Pharmacists can be the first point of contact and make appropriate referrals for patients... We can have other roles in addition to drug management but the problem is what kinds of support we can get." (Pharmacist)

"The government should shift the focus back to primary health care...We, pharmacists have a main role in primary health care and we can play an important role in disease prevention." (Pharmacist)