UNDERSTANDING PHARMACIST-PRESCRIBING ROLE IN BRAZIL. ARE WE PREPARED FOR THIS NEW REALITY?

Abstract

This study aimed to verify the understanding of Pharmacist-prescribing role, by Pharmacists working in community and retail pharmacies in the city of Maringa, Parana, Brazil. The obtained data were analyzed by OpenEpi® program and Fisher’s exact test. After interviewing 159 Pharmacists, the results showed that 99.4% of them knew about the Pharmacist-prescription meaning. Among them, 70.4% have read the Federal Council of Pharmacy Resolutions Nº 585/13 and 586/13, and only 34.0% were currently performing this Pharmacist role. The association of predictor variables (gender, age, university attended, years of experience, type of graduation, specialization and role performed in the pharmacy) didn’t show statistically significant difference in the outcome (act of performing or not the Pharmacistprescription role). It can be concluded that the Pharmacist-prescription role is well understood in theory, but, because is a new professional role in Brazil, it is incipient in practice.