Opinion of a group of experts on facilitators for introducing pharmacotherapy follow-up in spanish community pharmacies

A focus group, consisting of members of the Community Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Care Forum, was created as part of a research study into prioritising facilitators for introducing pharmaceutical follow-up in Spanish community pharmacies The aim was to explore their options regarding the facilitators prioritised in this study that had been defined as “Incentives”, “External Campaigns”, “Expertise in Pharmacotherapy Follow-Up Service” and “Pharmacist Professionalism”. The priority facilitator of the study, “Incentives”, mainly includes economic incentives, which are essential for the introduction and sustainability of pharmacotherapy follow-up services, although they also refer to other kinds of incentive, such as professional recognition. The participants agreed with the results of the study, which indicate the need for a preliminary payment to introduce new professional services. It is considered that this payment is justified by the benefits that the pharmacotherapy follow-up service offers patients’ health and the reduction in health expenses derived from the correct use of medication. Therefore, various methods of economic incentives for pharmacists who offer pharmacotherapy follow-up services were proposed. As far as professional recognition is concerned, the accreditation of the pharmacy that offers pharmacotherapy follow-up services was considered to be an incentive, and that this service should be relevant at a curricular level. Carrying out external campaigns as well as the existence of a professional pharmaceutical expert, qualified and accredited to offer the new professional pharmaceutical services (PPS) were also confirmed as being very important.