Cuchet I, Dambrun M, Bedhomme S, Savanovitch C, Roussel HV, Maneval A. The roles of French community pharmacists in palliative home care.
BMC Palliat Care 2024;
23:79. [PMID:
38519944 PMCID:
PMC10960433 DOI:
10.1186/s12904-024-01406-6]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/01/2023] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND
The World Health Organization identifies pharmacists as a key resource in palliative care. However, the roles of these professionals in end-of-life care at home remain poorly understood, and community pharmacists themselves sometimes struggle to recognize their true role in this care. The aim of our study was to analyze community pharmacists' representations of their roles in palliative care at home in France.
METHODS
The methodology was qualitative and based on semi-structured interviews with community pharmacists (n = 26). The analysis of the interviews was carried out using a qualitative content approach with thematic and lexical analysis.
RESULTS
Three main elements of the community pharmacist's role were identified: drug expertise, care management, and psychosocial support for patients and their families.
CONCLUSIONS
This study highlights a wide variety of roles adopted by French community pharmacists in palliative care at home. Some of these roles, which are in line with WHO recommendations on palliative care, have been little described to date. These roles of community pharmacists in home-based palliative care could be better recognized, and the players better integrated into end-of-life care systems at home, in order to improve such care.
TRIAL REGISTRATION
This work was carried out within the framework of a call for projects from the Fondation de France and has received the approval of the University Clermont Auvergne Research Ethics Committee (no. IRB00011540-2021-60).
Collapse