Development of a Theory-Based Intervention to Enhance Information Exchange during Over-The-Counter Consultations in Community Pharmacy

• Published in: Pharmacy Vol. 6; no. 4; p. 117
• Main Authors: Seubert, Liza J, Whitelaw, Kerry, Hattingh, Laetitia, Watson, Margaret C, Clifford, Rhonda M
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 24.10.2018; MDPI
• Subjects: Activities of daily living; behaviour change; Communication; community pharmacy services; Consumers; Cost control; Drug stores; Focus groups; health behaviour; Intervention; Medical research; Medicine; nonprescription drugs; pharmacists; Researchers; Studies; Theory; United Kingdom > UK; Australia; community pharmacy services; behaviour change; health behaviour; nonprescription drugs; communication; pharmacists
• ISSN: 2226-4787; 2226-4787
• DOI: 10.3390/pharmacy6040117

(1) Background: Community pharmacy personnel help mitigate risks of self-care by consumers who seek over-the-counter (OTC) medicines or treatment of symptoms and/or conditions. Exchange of information facilitates the OTC consultation, but pharmacy personnel often report difficulties in engaging consumers in a dialogue. The aim of this study was to describe the development of a behaviour change intervention to enhance information exchange between pharmacy personnel and consumers during OTC consultations in community pharmacies. (2) Methods: The Behaviour Change Wheel methodological framework was used to link factors that influence consumer engagement with information exchange during OTC consultations with intervention functions to change behaviour. Options generated were rationalized and the final intervention strategy was derived. (3) Results: Education, persuasion, environmental restructuring, and modelling were determined to be potential intervention functions. The intervention incorporated placing situational cues in the form of posters in the community pharmacy modelling information exchange behaviour, persuading through highlighting the benefits of exchanging information and educating about its importance. (4) Conclusions: A systematic, theoretically underpinned approach was applied to develop candidate interventions to promote information exchange in OTC consultations. The feasibility and efficacy of the intervention strategy has since been tested and will be reported elsewhere.