Pharmacist and patient experiences of primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: An interview study

Laura L Gleeson; Aoife Ludlow; Barbara Clyne; Ben Ryan; Rob Argent; James Barlow; Lisa Mellon; Aoife De Brún; Muriel Pate; Ciara Kirke; Frank Moriarty; Michelle Flood

doi:10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100193

Pharmacist and patient experiences of primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic: An interview study

Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2022 Dec:8:100193. doi: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2022.100193. Epub 2022 Oct 13.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
² Department of General Practice, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
³ Department of Pharmaceutical and Medicinal Chemistry, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
⁴ Department of Health Psychology, School of Population Health, RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, 123 St Stephen's Green, Dublin 2, Ireland.
⁵ UCD Centre for Interdisciplinary Research, Education and Innovation in Health Systems (UCD IRIS), School of Nursing, Midwifery & Health Systems, University College Dublin, Dublin 4, Ireland.
⁶ National Quality and Patient Safety Directorate, Health Service Executive, Dr Steevens' Hospital, Dublin 8, Ireland.

Abstract

Introduction: A number of significant changes designed to reduce the spread of COVID-19 were introduced in primary care during the COVID-19 pandemic. In Ireland, these included fundamental legislative and practice changes such as permitting electronic transfer of prescriptions, extending duration of prescription validity, and encouraging virtual consultations. Although such interventions served an important role in preventing the spread of infection, their impact on practice and patient care is not yet clear. The aim of this study was to investigate patient and healthcare professional (pharmacist and general practitioner) experiences to understand the impact of COVID-19 on primary care and medication safety during the first two years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Ireland.

Methods: A qualitative study using semi-structured interviews was undertaken between October 2021 and January 2022. Participants included twelve patients, ten community pharmacists, and one general practitioner. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using thematic analysis. Only patient and pharmacist interviews were included.

Findings: Themes from the interviews included: 1) Access to care, 2) Technological changes, 3) Experiences of care, and 4) Patient safety. Particular challenges identified included the difficulty faced by patients when accessing care, impacts on experiences of patient care, and extensive changes to pharmacy practice during the pandemic.

Conclusions: This study found that COVID-19 countermeasures considerably impacted patient and pharmacist experiences of primary care in terms of care and medication safety. While many changes were welcomed, others such as virtual consultations were received more cautiously likely due to the rapid and unplanned nature of their introduction. Further research is needed to identify how to optimise these changes to improve pharmacist and patient experience, and to understand the impact on patient safety.

Keywords: COVID-19; Medication safety; Patient experiences; Pharmacy; Primary care.