Ryota Kumaki

A limited number of community pharmacies provide nutritional counseling. Furthermore, despite the increasing number of community pharmacies with registered dietitians on staff, the professional capacities of registered dietitians are not fully utilized. This study aimed to find ways to enhance nutritional interventions in community pharmacies. Between May and June 2022, an interview survey was conducted with pharmacists and registered dietitians to determine the knowledge and skills that both professionals believe are necessary for community pharmacies and the required improvements. Fifteen respondents—five pharmacists who had completed training related to health support pharmacies (PhHSs), five pharmacists working with a registered dietitian (PhRDs), and five registered dietitians employed in community pharmacies (RdCPs)—were interviewed. The interviews were conducted using the Personal Attitude Construct analysis technique, and the text data obtained were labeled to generate themes. The following five themes emerged from the intervention points for patients with malnutrition and lifestyle-related diseases: image of the patient in need of intervention, information needed for assessment, correction of patient perceptions, suggestions for feasible ways, and points to consider during the intervention. The following four themes emerged regarding challenges in improving nutritional interventions: establishing a nutritional intervention flow, educating healthcare providers, publicizing to patients, and implementing institutional reforms. Establishing a structured intervention framework, improving training for healthcare providers, raising patient awareness, and implementing institutional reforms are essential aspects. In addition, optimizing the role of pharmacists and registered dietitians by clarifying the required knowledge and skills can contribute to effective nutritional counseling and enhanced patient outcomes.

With the recent shift in community pharmacist services toward in-person services and the growing need for centralized and continuous medication management/monitoring, pharmacist–patient information sharing is crucial. This study investigated the pharmacist–patient gap in the recognition of pharmacists’ behaviors regarding information sharing and assessed the potential impact of such recognition on patient trust and willingness to self-disclose. This cross-sectional study included 600 patients (aged 21–85 years) using pharmacy services (surveyed online in December 2020) and 591 community pharmacists with ≥1 year of experience (surveyed from September to November 2021). Both groups responded to items on the recognition of pharmacists’ behaviors regarding information sharing. There were patient-specific items on trust in community pharmacists and willingness to self-disclose. For all items on the recognition of pharmacists’ behaviors, patients’ scores were significantly lower (4–5) than pharmacists’ own scores (≥5), revealing a notable perception gap. Patients’ recognition had a positive, direct effect on trust and willingness, and trust had a positive, direct effect on willingness. Patients’ recognition and trust positively influenced their willingness to self-disclose. Pharmacist communication with clear intent is important to bridge the gaps in pharmacist–patient recognition and foster effective patient–pharmacist relationships.