Revisiting concepts, attitudes and expectations of Brazilian pharmacists to the practice of pharmaceutical care: A qualitative perspective

Background: Research has shown advancements in pharmaceutical care services to the population, with a change in practitioners’ professional behaviors. Objective: This study aimed to assess present attitudes, expectations and associated meanings facing these pharmacists’ extended role in primary care. Methods: The study followed a qualitative design. Data collection was carried out between 2011 and 2012, in two stages: the first used semi-structured individual interviews; the second one followed a focal group strategy. Data were gathered from purposively selected participants, i.e. pharmacists directly involved in primary care provision. A dialectical theoretical frame work in formed the data analysis. Results: Seven participants allowed reaching data saturation on their concrete conditions and their social and institutional interfaces with impact in experience and practice. It was possible to extract five meaningful dimensions: Pharmaceutical Care conceptualizations, the Pharmacist and its relationship with the health team, the Pharmacist and the management of services, the Professional daily work and training. Overall, these dimensions were didactically clear, but significantly intertwined: Discussion: Data have shown that Brazilian primary care pharmacists’ education and training in pharmaceutical care is not considered essential for present pharmacists’ practice, since caring for patients does not permeate daily routines. Conclusion: The deployment of pharmaceutical care remains as a management challenge within the Brazilian Unified Health System. Pharmaceutical care is not only dependent on a required training process, with refocused practice for each pharmacist, but also mediated by a significant change of profession meaning to society and self-accepted relevance of the pharmacist in the Brazilian primary care.