Community pharmacists as seen by older black female kinship caregivers with chronic health conditions

The role of pharmacists in healthcare has expanded.  Pharmacists are involved in many aspects of public health; however the public is largely unaware of the augmented roles they can play. African American grandparents are more likely than grandparents of other races to provide full-time care for their grandchildren; those providing full-time care may in poorer health than non-caregivers. Little is known about how this especially medically vulnerable group views pharmacists, the most accessible of health professionals.  

Semi-structured interviews were held with 22 African American women ages 40 years or older with 1+ chronic health condition requiring medication, who were providing custodial care of one or more grandchildren.   Participants were asked questions about interactions with pharmacists and preferences in communications with and trust in health professionals.

Several themes emerged from the interviews, including preference for a collaborative relationship with health professionals and positive or negative conflict resolutions. While many participants expressed distrust of prescribers and healthcare systems, community pharmacists were highly trusted, often more than prescribers.  Participants generally endorsed expanded roles for pharmacists; they appreciated pharmacists helping with medication costs, their medication expertise, and they were favorable about pharmacists providing health advice. Many felt that the quality of communication with pharmacists was better than with prescribers.  Some felt that pharmacists should confine their communications to medication information rather than broader health issues.

Pharmacists are underutilized by this particularly health-vulnerable group, who are unaware of the scope of services they could receive from community pharmacists.