Integrating traditional Chinese medicines into professional community pharmacy practice in China - Key stakeholder perspectives

Dongning Yao; Hao Hu; Joanna E Harnett; Carolina Oi Lam Ung

doi:10.1016/j.eujim.2020.101063

Integrating traditional Chinese medicines into professional community pharmacy practice in China - Key stakeholder perspectives

Eur J Integr Med. 2020 Feb:34:101063. doi: 10.1016/j.eujim.2020.101063. Epub 2020 Feb 5.

Authors

Dongning Yao¹, Hao Hu¹, Joanna E Harnett², Carolina Oi Lam Ung^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ State Key Laboratory of Quality Research in Chinese Medicine, Institute of Chinese Medical Sciences, University of Macau, Macao SAR, China.
² The University of Sydney Pharmacy School, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Australia.

Abstract

Introduction: In China, Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) is an integral part of the health system in parallel with Western medicine (WM). However, pharmacists' duty of care at this interface has not been fully explored. This qualitative study aimed to explore key stakeholders' perceptions about the challenges and enablers to pharmacists' adopting a professional role in patient care associated with the concurrent use of herbal medicines (HMs).

Methods: Participants were recruited from the expert pool of the National Research Center for Licensed Pharmacist Development using purposive sampling and snowballing. Participants targeted included government, academics and practicing pharmacists. An interview guide was developed following a literature review and face-to-face, audiotaped interviews conducted with key stakeholders.

Results: Fourteen semi-structured interviews with both practicing pharmacists and key stakeholder representatives were conducted in China in 2017. Thematic analysis identified 6 main themes which focused on how TCM was integrated with WM in China. Participants agreed that pharmacists should at least assume a role in drug safety associated with concurrent use of TCM and WM. However, barriers were identified within the government, education, pharmacy, pharmacist and research sectors, indicating a lack of coordinated strategies to improve this area of healthcare. A lack of clarity in defining the pharmacists' role in this area and a disconnect between current regulatory standards and education/training system were the prominent themes. Participants looked towards the government to facilitate actions in the development of policies that support pharmacy practice and practice guidelines, and the review of competency standards, and registration criteria as being the most important enablers.

Conclusion: Guiding principles that outline standards for pharmacy practice regarding HMs in an integrated healthcare system are considered a priority, requiring a joint effort from the government, professional organizations and universities.

Keywords: China; Integrative medicine; Perceptions; Pharmacy practice; Professional; Safety; Traditional Chinese Medicines.