Identification of the Discrepancies between Pharmacist and Patient Perception of the Pharmacist’s Role as an Advisor on Drug Therapy Based on Social Science Theory

Article 25-2 of the Japanese Pharmacists’ Act was revised in June 2014, establishing the position of pharmacists as “advisors on the use of pharmaceuticals.” Prior to the Act’s revision, we investigated the perceptions of patients and pharmacists about pharmacists’ roles using a social science methodology. We also examined current opinions and necessary factors for the future growth and development of pharmacists. This questionnaire survey was conducted using an internet method. Patients and pharmacists answered 12 questions. Responses from 529 patients and 338 pharmacists were analyzed. For all items, pharmacists’ awareness of their roles exceeded patients’ awareness of the roles. In this study, the difference between pharmacist and patient awareness was larger than in similar research conducted in the United States. The greatest difference was observed in three items: “Understanding the effects of the drugs the patients are taking” (rate of high ratings: pharmacists 80.2%, patients 37.8%), “Understanding the health changes caused by the drugs dispensed to the patients” (pharmacists 80.2%, patients 28.4%), and “Consciously protecting patients from the adverse effects of drugs” (pharmacists 82.8%, patients 42.2%), indicating role discrepancy. Partition analysis indicated the three factors for a pharmacist to be regarded as a drug therapy or medication specialist: “The patient regards the pharmacist as his/her family or regular pharmacist,” “The pharmacist is making it easy for a patient to talk with him/her” and “The pharmacist is aware of a patient’s use of products other than prescribed drugs, such as over the counter (OTC) medications or health foods and nutritional supplements.” Future efforts are necessary to resolve role discrepancy and implement ongoing monitoring.