The Pharmacist-Physician Collaboration for IPW: From Physician's Perspective

Interprofessional work (IPW) is increasingly important in various settings including primary care, in which the role of pharmacists is particularly important. Many studies have shown that in cases of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and metabolic syndrome, physician-pharmacist collaboration can improve medication adherence and help to identify drug-related problems. Some surveys and qualitative studies revealed barriers and key factors for effective physician-pharmacist collaboration, including trustworthiness and role clarification. In Japan, some cases of good collaborative work between pharmacists and physicians in hospitals and primary care settings have been reported. Still, community pharmacists in particular have difficulties collaborating with primary care doctors because they have insufficient medical information about patients, they feel hesitant about contacting physicians, and they usually communicate by phone or fax rather than face to face. Essential competencies for good interprofessional collaboration have been proposed by the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative (CIHC) : interprofessional communication; patient/client/family/community-centered care; role clarification; team functioning; collaborative leadership; and interprofessional conflict resolution. Our interprofessional education (IPE) team regularly offers educational programs to help health professionals learn interprofessional collaboration skills. We expect many pharmacists to learn those skills and actively to facilitate interprofessional collaboration.