Perspectives of Non-Pharmacy Professionals in Long-Term Care Facilities on Pharmacist-Involved Medication Management in South Korea: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Despite a rapid increase in both the number of long-term care facilities (LTCFs) and their residents in recent years, the concept of pharmacist-involved medication management is relatively new in South Korea. The objective of this study was to identify the perspectives of non-pharmacy professionals regarding the development of pharmacist-involved medication management in LTCFs. Employing a snowball sampling strategy, this study relied on semi-structured, one-on-one, in-depth interviews with twelve non-pharmacy professionals in LTCFs. The inductive thematic analysis and the constant comparative method were employed for the analysis. Participants revealed the need for pharmacist-involved medication management systems in LTCFs at the intrinsic and environmental levels. Through pharmacist-involved medication management, participants desired medication review/reconciliation and pharmaceutical education/counseling. The barriers to be overcome included the authorization of pharmacists' roles, the financial stability of LTCFs, role awareness among coworkers, and the professional development of pharmacists. In this study, we advanced our understanding of non-pharmacy professionals' perceptions of pharmacist-involved medication management in LTCFs. The results of this study can be applied in other Asian countries where the development of pharmacist-involved medication management for the institutionalized elderly is relatively new.