Community pharmacists' perceptions of medicines use reviews and quality assurance by peer review.

摘要

OBJECTIVES: To explore existing mechanism to ensure quality assurance of medicine use reviews (MURs), and to identify those parameters of an MUR that community pharmacists consider as indicators of quality. SETTING: Community pharmacists undertaking MURs in Cornwall, United Kingdom. METHOD: A questionnaire was developed to investigate pharmacists' attitudes towards MURs and towards quality assurance of MURs. Questionnaires were distributed during December 2008 to a sample of pharmacists in Cornwall accredited to provide the service. Main outcome measures Community pharmacists' attitudes towards quality assurance of MURs. RESULTS: Fifty completed questionnaires were returned, a third of which were from locum pharmacists. The most frequently reported determinant for undertaking an MUR was the pharmacist's judgement. Company policy to deliver MURs was acknowledged as a potential indicator of a sub-optimal MUR. Pharmacists shared a common sense of what constitutes a "poor" MUR but not what defines a quality one. CONCLUSION: For peer review to operate as an effective mechanism to assure quality of MURs, pharmacists need to develop an effective forum to share their practice experiences.