How do community pharmacists perceive practice-based research?

Objectives: Practice-based research (PBR) is an integral part of community pharmacy practice. The results obtained from PBR allow community pharmacists to gain the knowledge necessary to develop new patient services and acquire strategies to strengthen their role in the health system. The study aimed to assess pharmacists' attitudes and barriers towards PBR and investigate the factors that prevent or motivate community pharmacists from participating.

Methods: The cross-sectional study was conducted in May to Jun 2023 via an online structured pretested questionnaire. All licensed pharmacists registered in the Registry of Pharmacists of the Croatian Pharmaceutical Chamber, who listed community pharmacy as a place of work participated, i.e. 500 community pharmacists. The questionnaire consisted of two sections. Section A collected the respondents' sociodemographic characteristics. Section B contained two groups of relevant statements on a 5-point Likert scale divided into two sections: pharmacists' attitudes towards research in PBRs and barriers to participation in PBRs.

Key findings: The results showed that 97% of community pharmacists considered PBR important for developing new pharmacy services, and almost two-thirds considered participation in research to be part of pharmacy practice. The most often perceived barrier to research participation was the workload of daily tasks necessary for normal pharmacy functioning, recognized by 68% of community pharmacists.

Conclusion: This study revealed community pharmacists' perception of the importance of PBR for the pharmacy profession. Involvement in PBR was important for the community pharmacists. The motivation for the PBR was present, despite the detected barriers. The results indicate the directions the community pharmacists should inspire.