Search

Introduction: Despite the emphasis on interprofessional cooperation between general practitioners and pharmacists, the effectiveness of interventions in this area is poorly understood. The purpose of this study was to assess the effectiveness of interventions based on cooperation between general practitioners and pharmacists., Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using MEDLINE, the Cochrane Database and the PASCAL database. Keywords and/or search terms ("family physician(s)" or "general practitioner(s)" and "pharmacist(s)") were cross-referenced. We included the results of all randomized clinical trials published in English or French and assessed the effectiveness of pharmacist interventions designed to complement the work of general practitioners., Results: In total, 22 articles were included. Sixteen trials showed that pharmacist interventions in the management of chronic health conditions and drug therapy management benefit patients. The evidence suggests that pharmacist interventions have a positive impact on the management of arterial hypertension and hypercholesterolemia and the management of drug-related problems. The criteria used for the trials were generally procedural or surrogate criteria and never included cost-effectiveness analyses., Discussion: Cooperation between pharmacists and general practitioners can contribute to improving the quality of primary care, especially in the areas of cardiometabolic and prescription problems.

Background: Recruiting GPs is an issue faced by most research teams in primary care., Objectives: To assess GPs' willingness and expectations with regard to research in French primary care and to identify factors that may increase their participation in research projects., Methods: Cross-sectional study conducted with a representative sample of 452 GPs from the Rhone-Alpes region in France., Results: Among 284 GPs (63%) who participated, 85 [29.9%, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 26.4-35.3%] were willing to participate in research as investigators and 83 (29.2%, 95% CI: 23.9-34.5%) had already participated in research projects. Multivariate analysis showed that an earlier participation in research projects [odds ratio (OR) = 3.3], a training practice (OR = 2.3), membership in a research network (OR = 2.1) and younger age (OR = 1.9 for 10 years less) were associated with the willingness to participate in future research projects. Whereas 55% of practitioners who already had an experience in research had participated in a therapeutic trial, those willing to participate in the future preferred to participate in descriptive (26%) or etiologic (22%) studies. Preventive, diagnostic and therapeutic procedures and quality of care were the domains, which interested GPs most. The most expected clinical themes concerned cardiovascular, metabolic, musculoskeletal and respiratory problems., Conclusions: To meet the expectations of French GPs willing to participate in primary care research, it is advisable to diversify studies with respect to their types, domains and themes. Linkage to universities and research networks should also be encouraged.

Copyright of Médecine is the property of John Libbey Eurotext Ltd. and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)