Healthcare providers' perspectives on collaboration of care for acute cystitis in women and the role of the community pharmacy: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Acute cystitis (AC) is generally treated in primary care by general practitioners. Support from the community pharmacy may relieve the GP's workload and increase accessibility of care for women. Aim: To explore healthcare providers' (HCPs') perspectives on the collaboration of care for AC and investigate their views on possibilities for task shifting towards community pharmacy. Method: This qualitative study was conducted within the setting of pharmacotherapy audit meetings (PTAMs) involving general practitioners and community pharmacists. Focus group discussions were embedded in PTAMs to gain insight into participants' perspectives on the organization of care for AC and the potential role of the community pharmacies. Additionally, individual interviews were carried out with a subset of PTAM participants and other primary care professionals (e.g. assistants). Focus groups and interviews were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Results: Five focus groups and 12 interviews were conducted; in total 57 participants were included (45 of them were working in general practice). Although HCPs were experienced in providing AC care, they reported some shortcomings in the current care process. They perceived limited advantages in shifting tasks to community pharmacies. Key barriers included time constraints within pharmacies and insufficient access to patients' medical histories. Expanding the role of community pharmacies could be supported through financial compensation for counseling, adequate training of pharmacy personnel, and strong collaboration between pharmacists and general practitioners. Conclusion: Although there is room for improvement in the organization of care for AC, participants saw limited opportunities for task shifting towards community pharmacy.