Pharmacy Daily | Pharmacist/GP harmony

PHARMACISTS and general practitioners enjoy largely constructive relationships, the University of Technology Sydney (UTS) Pharmacy Barometer reveals.

The annual pharmacist sentiment survey found that 91% of pharmacists felt they have a good relationship with the main prescribing GP in their area.

Most pharmacists felt GPs were receptive to their suggestions about prescribing changes and clinical recommendations, however, they felt that GPs were rarely proactive in seeking them out for advice.

Speaking at the launch of the 2018 Pharmacy Barometer, former Pharmaceutical Society of Australia President, Warwick Plunkett, said results indicated that pharmacists were not front of mind for GPs.

He said the mostly one-sided relationship meant pharmacists were not proactively sought out by the GP in a clinical area, but their advice when given, usually in conjunction with an issue, was generally acceptable to the GP.

"Probably what that means is the GPs don't think much about the pharmacist," Plunkett said.

Meanwhile, the majority of pharmacists (56%) supported the integration of pharmacists into GP surgeries, with support highest among employee pharmacists (77%), UTS Head of Pharmacy, Professor Kylie Williams said.

Pharmacy owners were the least likely to back the idea (41%) - significantly down from the 65% supporting GP integration in 2015.

"One of the things [influencing pharmacy owners' attitudes] is that community pharmacies are having difficulties recruiting pharmacists, so maybe they want them working for us rather than in a GP surgery," Williams said.

While most pharmacists were supportive of the idea of having a pharmacist integrated in GP surgeries, just 16% thought GPs would be supportive of the idea, with a third saying their medical peers would not want to have a pharmacist within their practice.