Perspectives of pharmacy staff on provision of self-care and minor ailment education in primary schools: a qualitative study

Pharmacy professionals, given their health expertise, can play a role in enhancing health education within their communities and among patients. The potential of the pharmacy workforce to enhance health education among primary school children is underexplored. This study aimed to investigate the perspectives of pharmacy staff on the provision of education regarding self-care and treatment of minor ailments to primary school-aged children and to identify roles that pharmacists could play in this regard. Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted online with frontline pharmacy staff in the UK who had patient facing roles with primary school-aged children and parents. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic data analysis was applied to the transcripts. A total of 17 participants were recruited. Participants included 12 pharmacists, two pharmacy technicians and three pharmacy dispensers. All participants worked within community, hospital or primary care facilities. Five themes emerged from the data analysis: sources of health knowledge accessed by children and parents; a perceived lack of knowledge regarding self-care and treatments for minor ailments among children and parents; a perceived positive impact of education on self-care; barriers to health education; and the potential role of pharmacy staff in self-care education in schools. Pharmacy staff recognise the value of integrating health education into primary school curricula. A collaborative approach with educational institutions could bridge the gap in knowledge regarding self-care and treatment of minor ailments, and could empower children and reduce unnecessary use of healthcare resources.