ArticleBMJ open2012
Understanding public trust in services provided by community pharmacists relative to those provided by general practitioners: a qualitative study.
Article in BMJ open, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 124 citations in OpenAlex.
- Factors influencing national implementation of innovations within community pharmacy: a systematic review applying the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research.Implementation science : IS · 2019Pooled it
- Reasons why people do not attend NHS Health Checks: a systematic review and qualitative synthesis.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2018Pooled it
- Screening for increased cardiometabolic risk in primary care: a systematic review.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2014Pooled it
- SMS text message reminders versus usual care for cervical screening attendance in London, UK: a retrospective secondary analysis of routinely collected data.The Lancet. Primary care · 2026Article
- Attitude of consumers towards community pharmacy services in Oman: a qualitative approach.BMC health services research · 2025Article
- Parents' perspectives on childhood antibiotic treatment in Ireland-a qualitative study.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- Identifying roles in smoking cessation care for different types of healthcare providers: a qualitative study with people who smoke.Frontiers in health services · 2025Article
- General Practice Community Pharmacist Consultation Service: an exploratory patient survey.BJGP open · 2025Article
- Recognition of Community Pharmacists' Behaviors Related to Information Sharing: A Cross-Sectional Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
- Symptoms of older orthopedic and rheumatic patients : A telephone survey about symptoms, symptom communication, treatment and further support after hospital discharge.Zeitschrift fur Gerontologie und Geriatrie · 2024Article
- Attitudes of community pharmacists towards extending their professional roles in Oman.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2024Article
- Assessing consumers' perception and demand on the community pharmacists' dispensing.Journal of pharmaceutical policy and practice · 2023Article
- Development of a Questionnaire to Measure Public Perceptions of the Role of Community Pharmacy in Public Health (Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- COVID-19 vaccination status in Germany: Factors and reasons for not being vaccinated (yet).Frontiers in public health · 2023Article
- Awareness and Perceptions among Members of a Japanese Cancer Patient Advocacy Group Concerning the Financial Relationships between the Pharmaceutical Industry and Physicians.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2022Article
- Location, location, location: a discrete choice experiment to inform COVID-19 vaccination programme delivery in the UK.BMC public health · 2022Article
- Rapid realist review of the role of community pharmacy in the public health response to COVID-19.BMJ open · 2021Review
- Public perceptions about pharmacists' role in prescribing, providing education and delivering medications during COVID-19 pandemic era.International journal of clinical practice · 2021Article
- Exploring power shifts as an enabler for a strengthened patient role in quality improvements: a Swedish survey study.BMJ open quality · 2021Article
- Trust-building in the Pharmacist-patient Relationship: A Qualitative Study.Iranian journal of pharmaceutical research : IJPR · 2021Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesTo apply sociological theories to understand public trust in extended services provided by community pharmacists relative to those provided by general practitioners (GPs).
designQualitative study involving focus groups with members of the public.
settingThe West of Scotland.
participants26 purposively sampled members of the public were involved in one of five focus groups. The groups were composed to represent known groups of users and non-users of community pharmacy, namely mothers with young children, seniors and men.
resultsTrust was seen as being crucial in healthcare settings. Focus group discussions revealed that participants were inclined to draw unfavourable comparisons between pharmacists and GPs. Importantly, participants' trust in GPs was greater than that in pharmacists. Participants considered pharmacists to be primarily involved in medicine supply, and awareness of the pharmacist's extended role was low. Participants were often reluctant to trust pharmacists to deliver unfamiliar services, particularly those perceived to be 'high risk'. Numerous system-based factors were identified, which reinforce patient trust and confidence in GPs, including GP registration and appointment systems, GPs' expert/gatekeeper role and practice environments. Our data indicate that the nature and context of public interactions with GPs fostered familiarity with a specific GP or practice, which allowed interpersonal trust to develop. By contrast, participants' exposure to community pharmacists was limited. Additionally, a good understanding of the GPs' level of training and role promoted confidence.
conclusionCurrent UK initiatives, which aim to implement a range of pharmacist-led services, are undermined by lack of public trust. It seems improbable that the public will trust pharmacists to deliver unfamiliar services, which are perceived to be 'high risk', unless health systems change in a way that promotes trust in pharmacists. This may be achieved by increasing the quality and quantity of patient interactions with pharmacists and gaining GP support for extended pharmacy services.
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.