“Creating a culturally competent pharmacy profession”: a qualitative exploration of pharmacy staff perspectives of cultural competence and its training in community pharmacy settings

ABSTRACT Introduction Cultural competence is an important attribute underpinning interactions between healthcare professionals, such as pharmacists, and patients from ethnic minority communities. Health- and medicines-related inequalities affecting people from underrepresented ethnic groups, such as poorer access to healthcare services and poorer overall treatment outcomes in comparison to their White counterparts, have been widely discussed in existing literature. Community pharmacies are a first port of call healthcare service accessed by diverse patient populations; yet, limited research exists which explores the perceptions of culturally competent care within the profession, or the delivery of cultural competence training to community pharmacy staff. This research seeks to gather perspectives of community pharmacy teams relating to cultural competence and identify possible approaches for the adoption of cultural competence training. Methods Semi-structured interviews were conducted in-person, over the telephone or via video call, between October-December 2022. Perspectives on cultural competence and training were discussed. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Reflexive thematic analysis enabled the development of themes. QSR NVivo (Version 12) facilitated data management. Ethical approval was obtained from the [anonymised] University Ethics Committee (ref: 25680/2022). Results Fourteen participants working in community pharmacies were interviewed, including: 8 qualified pharmacists, 1 foundation trainee pharmacist, 3 pharmacy technicians/dispensers and 2 counter assistants. Three themes were developed from the data which centred on: (1) defining and appreciating cultural competency within pharmacy services; (2) identifying pharmacies as “cultural hubs” for members of the diverse, local community; and (3) delivering cultural competence training for the pharmacy profession. Conclusion The results of this study offer new insights and suggestions on the delivery of cultural competence training to community pharmacy staff, students and trainees entering the profession. Collaborative co-design approaches between patients and pharmacy staff could enable improved design, implementation and delivery of culturally competent pharmacy services. Patient or public contribution The Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement group at [anonymised] University had input in the study design and conceptualisation. Two patient champions inputted to ensure that the study was conducted, and the findings were reported, with cultural sensitivity. Trial registration Not applicable. Ethical approval was obtained from the [anonymised] University Research and Ethics Committee (reference: 25680/2022).