Browsing by Author "Cavaco, Afonso Miguel"
Now showing 1 - 2 of 2
Results Per Page
Sort Options
- Exploring ethical principles amongst practicing community pharmacists in Portugal: any reasons for concern?Publication . Cavaco, Afonso Miguel; Grilo, Ana; Barros, LuisaPharmacists facing ethical dilemmas have shown weaknesses in principled reasoning and disclosure. The chapter describes research on Portuguese community pharmacists' moral reasoning and narrative ethics. A cross-sectional survey comprising vignettes with practice ethical dilemmas, their possible justifications, and an open box for textual accounts was used as the research tool. More than 270 pharmacists replied, primarily young (<35 years old) female practitioners and 75% were involved in direct contact with patients. At least 50% of the sample showed compliance with the expected ethical-based decisions, except for the non-maleficence principle (10.9%); although receiving the highest proportion of the corresponding justification (30.3%), no open accounts or narratives were registered. The present findings suggest ethical passivity associated with decision-making in practice and a potential conflict between the clinical and the business roles. Explicit ethical norms for practice guidance and additional moral reasoning and narrative training are suggested.
- Exploring pharmacists’ orientation towards patients in Portuguese community pharmaciesPublication . Cavaco, Afonso Miguel; Grilo, Ana; Barros, LuisaBackground: Patient-centered care has been associated with improved patient outcomes and healthcare satisfaction. The present study aimed to explore pharmacy practitioners’ orientation to patients in daily work, as well as job satisfaction as a possible associated factor. Methods: A cross-sectional survey of a sample of Portuguese community pharmacists was used for gathering participants’ demographics, professional and work-related data, self-perceived level of technical and relational competencies, and the importance ascribed to these skills. The Portuguese version of the Patient-Practitioner Orientation Scale (PPOS) and a Portuguese-reduced version of a Healthcare Job Satisfaction Scale completed the online questionnaire. Results: A sample of 274 respondents comprised 81.1% females, with a mean age of 37.2 years, 11.6 years of work experience on average, and subject to a work intensity of 5.36 clients per hour, mainly for counter dispensing (73.0%). Overall, technical competencies were significantly more important than relational ones, but practitioners with fewer experiences self-perceived as weaker in communication competencies. Females scored higher in relational competencies importance as well as in PPOS (p < 0.05). No significant difference in PPOS was found between pharmacists with more and less direct interaction with patients, but higher when performing consultation services (p < 0.05). Conclusions: The existing orientation to patients seems to be under the desired levels and independent of community pharmacists’ work intensity, nevertheless linked with work experience and differentiated patient services. Although professionals might recognize the importance of relational competencies to provide patient-centered care and achieve better outcomes, it is essential to promote clinical training amongst community pharmacists.