• Roland Te Paske, Liset van Dijk, Selina Yilmaz, Annemiek J Linn, van BovenJob F MJFM0000-0003-2368-2262Department of Clinical Pharmacy & Pharmacology, Groningen Research Institute for Asthma and COPD (GRIAC), University Medical Center Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands., and Marcia Vervloet.
• Department of Healthcare from the Perspective of Patients, Clients and Citizens, Nivel (Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research), Utrecht, the Netherlands.
• Patient Prefer Adher. 2023 Jan 1; 17: 339134013391-3401.

PurposeThe pharmacy team has been shifting its role from primarily dispensing medications to providing patient-centred pharmaceutical care. Establishing a trust relation between the pharmacy team and their patients is fundamental for this new role. This study aimed to (i) identify the level of trust in the pharmacy team among patients with asthma and/or COPD, (ii) assess whether the level of trust patients have in pharmacists differs from their trust in pharmacy technicians, and (iii) identify factors that contribute to building trust in the pharmacy team.Patients And MethodsFirst, a focus group with six patients with asthma and/or COPD was conducted to explore which aspects they considered significant for establishing trust in the pharmacy team. Subsequently, these insights were used to develop an online questionnaire. A link to the online questionnaire was distributed among patients with asthma and/or COPD. Data were analysed using exploratory factor analyses to identify underlying constructs for trust. Regression analyses were conducted to evaluate whether these constructs affected trust (scale 1-10) in the pharmacy team.ResultsA total of 290 patients completed the questionnaire. On average, they rated their trust in the pharmacy team with a score of 7.4 out of 10 (SD: 1.5), almost identical to their trust in the pharmacist and pharmacy technician. Patient trust in pharmacy teams is influenced by their perception of engagement, expertise in medication-related matters, and effective communication.ConclusionTrust in the pharmacy team was observed as moderately high, indicating that there is room for improvement. Due to the changing role of the pharmacy team, its members should strive to enhance their patient-centred skills ensuring ongoing efforts to build and maintain trust with patients.© 2023 te Paske et al.

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