A "secret shopper" study conducted by the University of Sydney found that pharmacy staff appropriately referred patients to general practitioners in only 66% of cases, and providing feedback on incorrect referrals did not improve the performance over time.
The results were published this month in the International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy (CLICK HERE) collating the results of fieldwork between Mar and Oct 2015 in which pharmacy students visited 13 Sydney community pharmacies.
Each of the 158 visits analysed included an "assigned scenario" such as asthma, dyspepsia or diarrhoea, with audio recordings of the interactions made and later used to provide feedback to staff.
Pharmacy staff were scored by the mystery shoppers according to a standardised scoresheet, with the key outcome being whether the students were appropriately referred to a GP based on the presenting symptoms.
Almost half of those who requested OTC salbutamol with symptoms of uncontrolled asthma were sold the product without referral to a doctor.
Increased questioning and involvement of a pharmacist in the interaction were significant predictors of referral to a medical practitioner occurring, the authors concluded.
The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia responded to reports of the research in Australian Doctor which highlighted the missed opportunities for referrals to GPs, with national president Shane Jackson saying "the time for criticism is over...we should be working together to support evidence-based practices that improve quality of care".
He noted that healthcare challenges were not limited to pharmacists, citing reports this week of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing by GPs "contributing to the problem of antimicrobial resistance and even deaths".
Jackson said Australians would continue to seek health advice from pharmacists, given their expertise and accessibility.
"At PSA our door continues to be open to RACGP and other GP groups to develop collaborative protocols that avoid the type of problems highlighted today and deliver cost-effective health outcomes to consumers," he said.
The above article was sent to subscribers in Pharmacy Daily's issue from 13 Jul 17
To see the full newsletter, see the embedded issue below or CLICK HERE to download Pharmacy Daily from 13 Jul 17
