Perceptions of Pharmaceutical Care Among Pharmacists Offering Compounding Services

Objectives: To identify and describe pharmaceutical care practices implemented by independent community pharmacists who provide compounding services.

Design: Qualitative study.

Setting: Independent community pharmacies in Illinois, Missouri, and Iowa in July 2006.

Participants: 12 independent community pharmacists with compounding practices.

Interventions: Semistructured telephone interviews.

Main Outcome Measures: Response themes describing pharmaceutical care in compounding practices.

Results: Most participants described having a closer relationship with patients receiving compounded preparations than with patients receiving only manufactured products. Higher compounded prescription volume was associated with a higher level of pharmaceutical care services for patients receiving compounded preparations. Patient health and prescription records, the nature and duration of patient counseling, and interaction with physicians differed depending on the type of preparation (compounded or manufactured) provided.

Conclusion: Community pharmacists provided descriptions of pharmaceutical care and their satisfaction with patient and pharmacist relationships in the context of providing compounded preparations. Pharmacists, especially those providing compounded hormone replacement therapy, developed a hybrid clinical-community practice.