Percepción del paciente mayor polimedicado sobre el rol del farmacéutico comunitario

Introduction: Nowadays, almost 80 percent of the health expenditure in Spain corresponds to people over 65 years of age as a result of their multiple pathology, have become polymedicated patients. Community pharmacists are community health workers who can help to control this expense and improve the quality of use of the medications due to the proximity and approachability although nowadays they are only known in their role as the medication dispenser. Materials and methods: An exploratory method was used, based on the qualitative research and semi-structured interviews were conducted as a means to get information, combining both the Role Theory and Health Belief Model as theoretical frameworks. Results: Polymedicated elderly patients tend to associate the role of health care professionals with their general practitioners and community nurses, giving less priority to the function of the pharmacists. Pharmacists are often relegated to a minor role and particularly to the supplying of drugs and healthcare products, that is, their dispensary role. However, patients are likely to highlight the great accessibility and trust they have towards these professionals. Conclusion: The polymedicated elderly patients expect from the pharmacist in Spain is a good rapport with their patients, besides a dispensary role. This could be a consequence of the low expectations that they have of the pharmacists concerning the services they provide. Pharmacists are assumed not to offer other services different to the classical services (dispensing). They should start changing their current role by introducing new services in order to change the perception that patients have about them.