Pharmacy Continence Care - Bladder and Bowel Website

maternal health services and the Continence Foundation helpline. There was a slight but not
statistically significant change in knowledge about divisions of general practice and general
practitioners.
Although the number of pharmacies referring to other health professionals only increased by
7 per cent (from 83 per cent to 90 per cent), there were significant increases in referrals to
continence services, continence nurse advisers, physiotherapists, maternal health services,
and support groups. Whilst the effect on health status of this increase in onward referrals
was not able to be quantified due to the limited time period of the trial and scope limitations,
this bodes well for a positive effect on the health of those referred.
Talking to consumers about continence problems
It is also important that pharmacists feel confident about approaching and talking to
consumers about sensitive topics such as continence problems. At the beginning and end of
the trial, pharmacists were asked questions about their perceptions of customer reactions
when approached about a sensitive issue such as incontinence. Answers to these questions
showed an improved level of confidence, with some significant changes being detected in
pharmacists’ perception of customer reactions.
In their exit interview 81 per cent of pharmacies responded “yes” when they were asked if,
given the level of training they had undertaken, did they think that customers are now likely
to talk to them about their issues. Survey results showed a significant positive change in the
perception of customers’ reactions when approached about sensitive issues. Fewer
pharmacists saw a likelihood of a customer walking away, and more thought customers
would be willing to discuss sensitive issues.
4.2.6 Cost effectiveness for pharmacies
Value of pharmacy sales
The six-month period between pharmacy surveys (February-August 2005) is not a long
enough period for the trial to demonstrate reliable effects on sales of continence products. In
addition, a variety of factors make it difficult to draw hard conclusions from the data,
including: a more than 50 per cent non-response rate to this question in the exit survey,
difficulties respondents had in answering this question accurately, and temporal variability of
sales.
If the 10 respondents in the initial questionnaire (PIQ) reporting sales of more than $1,000
who failed to respond in the exit survey (PEQ) are assumed to have broadly similar level of
sales (rather than nil sales) at the end of the trial, there is some indication that the trial may
have resulted in extra sales at least for smaller pharmacies (see Figure 28). Of those who
reported sales of over $1,000 in both the initial and exit surveys, however more of these
pharmacies (4 out of 6) reported lower sales than higher sales (two out of six), although this
may be a factor of normal monthly variations in sales.
Final Report
34
NOVA Public Policy
Pharmacy Continence Care Project