Professional practice of pharmacists in private community pharmacies of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Imbelloni, Letícia Soares Melo; Leite, Isabel Cristina Gonçalves; Baldoni, André de Oliveira; Farah, Beatriz Francisco

doi:10.1590/s2175-97902023e23281

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Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences

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Article • Braz. J. Pharm. Sci. 59 • 2023 • https://doi.org/10.1590/s2175-97902023e23281 copy

Professional practice of pharmacists in private community pharmacies of Minas Gerais, Brazil

Authorship SCIMAGO INSTITUTIONS RANKINGS

Abstract

Considering the wide accessibility of population to private community pharmacies, Pharmaceutical Services must be provided comprehensively in such establishments. This research aims to understand how pharmaceutical practice is developed by pharmacists in private community pharmacies of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Qualitative descriptive research was performed. Data were collected through online questionnaires (n=113) and interviews (n=12) with pharmacists working in such institutions and they were analyzed according to Bardin’s Content Analysis, with the contribution of software IRAMUTEQ. Two main categories of analysis were formed: “Professional training of pharmacists and the working conditions in private community pharmacies” and “Pharmaceutical Services in private community pharmacies of Minas Gerais”. Pharmacists understood the population’s healthcare as the main purpose of their professional practice. However, the routine focused on the technical management of medicines and the lack of private rooms hindered the provision of qualified assistance. Furthermore, commercial strategies were identified as motivators for ethical dilemmas and conflicts among the work team. It is suggested that the growth of the pharmaceutical retail market in Minas Gerais should be accompanied by favorable conditions for the production of care, so that pharmaceutical practice in these institutions can be developed in an ethical and responsible way.

Keywords:
Pharmacy; Pharmacists; Professional practice; Qualitative research

Number of interviews	Text Segment Retention Index (%)	Hapax Coefficient (%)
8	67,24	5,13
12	89,25	3,89
Reference value	≥75,00	5≤%>0

Variable		n	%
Gender	Female	34	84
Gender	Male	4	16
Age (years)	24-27	6	16
	28-31	15	39,5
	32-35	9	24
	>35	8	21
Time upon graduation (years)	1-5	11	29
	6-10	19	50
	11-14	8	21
Job position	Pharmacist and manager	6	16
	Substitute pharmacist	2	5
	Assistant pharmacist	1	3
Time working in the current job (years)	0,5-5	31	81,5
Time working in the current job (years)	6-11	7	18,5
Type of private community pharmacy	Chain	24	63
Type of private community pharmacy	Independent	14	37
City size^(a)	Small	22	58
	Medium	8	21
	Large	8	21
Community pharmacy work team^(b)	Pharmacy attendant	36	95
	Cashier operator	20	53
	Other pharmacists	15	39
	Owners	16	42
	Managers	8	21
	Others^(c)	3	8

Type of actions		Example	Interview excerpts
Technical management	Managerial	Responsibility for sanitary documentations	“When we need to renew the documentation (...) that the Health Surveillance requires, I take responsibility.” (F11m)
		Supervising the staff	“I supervise the service of [other] pharmacists to see if they are doing it properly.” (F7g)
		Training pharmacy attendants and interns	“I train the attendants on attendance, how to approach the patient, drug interactions, pharmaceutical legislation and its updates.” (F6g)
	Administrative	Operating the institution cashier	“I keep the place organized and cleaned and I also operate the cashier.” (F9m)
		Organizing and cleaning
		Issuance of invoices	“[At the pharmacy] I also do the issuance of invoices of the prescription medicines.” (F2p)
	Technical	Selling medicine	“I sell medicines (...), I check prescriptions and I also do the inventory control.” (F8p)
		Inventory control	“I do product storage, inventory control, (...) I monitor the temperature and humidity of the pharmacy.” (F9m)
		Forwarding of drugs discarded by the population for incineration	“We have a medicine disposal program and I am responsible for forwarding these medicines for incineration.” (F11m)
		Maintenance of SNGPC^(d)	“I do the SNGPC maintenance, I have to write down the standard procedures for every activity that is done in the pharmacy.” (F12p)
		Elaborating the Standard Operating Procedures
Clinical management	Assistance	Capillary blood glucose testing	“I perform the clinical pharmacy services of capillary glucose, blood pressure and COVID testing.” (F1p)
		Systemic blood pressure measurement
		COVID testing
		Injectable application	“[I do] injectable applications, and when dispensing medicines, we give pharmaceutical advice.” (F4p)
		Medicines dispensing
		Pharmaceutical advice (at the counter)	“I attend patients and I do pharmaceutical counseling [at the counter], I perform the blood pressure measurement, capillary blood glucose, earlobe piercing.” (F10p)
		Earlobe piercing for earring placement

Universidade de São Paulo, Faculdade de Ciências Farmacêuticas Av. Prof. Lineu Prestes, n. 580, 05508-000 S. Paulo/SP Brasil, Tel.: (55 11) 3091-3824 - São Paulo - SP - Brazil
E-mail: bjps@usp.br

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[1] *Correspondence: L. S. M. Imbelloni. Departamento de Saúde Coletiva. Faculdade de Medicina. Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora. Prédio do NATES, Campus da Universidade Federal de Juiz de Fora, Martelos. CEP: 36036-900, Juiz de Fora, Minas Gerais, Brasil. E-mail: leticiaimbel04@ gmail.com. Phone: (31) 98443-1832