ArticleCanadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC2016
How do community pharmacists make decisions? Results of an exploratory qualitative study in Ontario.
Article in Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 20 papers.
What it found
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Who cites it
20 citing papers in PubMed, 52 citations in OpenAlex.
- The impact of clinical pharmacist-physician communication on reducing drug-related problems: a mixed study design in a tertiary teaching Hospital in Xinjiang, China.BMC health services research · 2022Trial
- Pharmacists' Management of Urinary Tract Infection Symptoms in Community Pharmacy: Counseling Practices and Attitudes Toward Antibiotic Therapy.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
- How can community pharmacists improve antibiotic use among outpatients? A qualitative study of pharmacists' clinical reasoning.JAC-antimicrobial resistance · 2025Article
- How do pharmacists navigate clinical uncertainty when reviewing polypharmacy? A critical literature review.BMC primary care · 2025Review
- Reflecting on Uncertainty Tolerance in Student Pharmacists Following an Inpatient Rounding Simulation: A Pilot Mixed-Methods Study.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Community pharmacists' decision-making patterns in clinical prescription checking: A simulation-based study.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2025Article
- Managing common ambulatory conditions: Exploring clinical decision making performance between pharmacists and family physicians.Exploratory research in clinical and social pharmacy · 2023Article
- A web-based survey of UK pharmacists to assess the effectiveness of Viagra ConnectInternational journal of clinical pharmacy · 2022Article
- Initial Validation of an Instrument for Measuring Entrepreneurial and Intrapreneurial Intentions in Student Pharmacists.American journal of pharmaceutical education · 2020Article
- Communicating medication risk to cardiovascular patients in Qatar.International journal of health care quality assurance · 2018Article
- Thinking in Pharmacy Practice: A Study of Community Pharmacists' Clinical Reasoning in Medication Supply Using the Think-Aloud Method.Pharmacy (Basel, Switzerland) · 2017Article
- Barriers to pharmacy practice change: Is it our nature or nurture?Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC · 2016Article
- The immense value of qualitative research to pharmacy.Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC · 2016Article
- Professional identity in pharmacy: Opportunity, crisis or just another day at work?Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPCArticle
- Will I lose my license for that? A closer look at Canadian disciplinary hearings and what it means for pharmacists' practice to full scope.Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPCArticle
- Is It Necessary for Pharmacists to Evaluate Other Health Professionals' Satisfaction with Pharmacist Services?The Canadian journal of hospital pharmacyArticle
- Community pharmacist perceptions of drug-drug interactions.Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPCArticle
- Community pharmacists' and residents' decision making and unmet information needs when completing comprehensive medication reviews.Journal of the American Pharmacists Association : JAPhAArticle
- Regulation and innovation in practice - Not a "drug interaction"?Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPCArticle
- Professional abstinence: What does it mean for pharmacists?Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPCArticle
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundAs the complexity of pharmacy practice increases, pharmacists are required to make more decisions under ambiguous or information-deficient conditions. There is scant literature examining how pharmacists make decisions and what factors or values influence their choices. The objective of this exploratory research was to characterize decision-making patterns in the clinical setting of community pharmacists in Ontario.
methodsThe think-aloud decision-making method was used for this study. Community pharmacists with 3 or more years' experience were presented with 2 clinical case studies dealing with challenging situations and were asked to verbally reason through their decision-making process while being probed by an interviewer for clarification, justification and further explication. Verbatim transcripts were analyzed using a protocol analysis method. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: A total of 12 pharmacists participated in this study. Participants experienced cognitive dissonance in attempting to reconcile their desire for a clear and confrontation-free conclusion to the case discussion and the reality of the challenge presented within each case. Strategies for resolving this cognitive dissonance included strong emphasis on the educational (rather than decision-making) role of the pharmacist, the value of strong interpersonal relationships as a way to avoid conflict and achieve desired outcomes, the desire to seek external advice or defer to others' authority to avoid making a decision and the use of strict interpretations of rules to avoid ambiguity and contextual interpretation. This research was neither representative nor generalizable but was indicative of patterns of decisional avoidance and fear of assuming responsibility for outcomes that warrant further investigation.
conclusionThe think-aloud method functioned effectively in this context and provided insights into pharmacists' decision-making patterns in the clinical setting. Can Pharm J (Ott) 2016;149:90-98.
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.