Download our white paper
We demonstrated the impact human sciences can have on patient behaviour change in pharmacy
Interventions developed by the Centre for Human Sciences were effective in challenging patient perceptions and changing their behaviour, enhancing consultations about their pain management in community pharmacy. Download our white paper, ‘Pain points: Breaking down barriers to effective patient-pharmacist consultations’ to explore the full results from this inaugural pilot study.
Learn more about our interventions
We tested the use of in-store cues and pharmacist training that were developed to deliver on specific behavioural science principles.
Key findings
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Patients' perceptions of the pharmacy shifted post-intervention
![Bar graph showing a 31% increase in patients responding “disagree” to the statement “I only see the pharmacy as a place to pick up prescriptions” post-intervention by the Centre for Human Sciences]()
A crucial objective for our behavioural change interventions was to challenge often-held patient perceptions of the pharmacy, primarily that they are simply places to pick-up prescriptions without additional clinically value. Following use of our interventions, more patients that they only saw pharmacies as places to pick-up prescriptions disagreed (31 percentage point increase).*
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Patients felt more prepared for a conversation with a pharmacist about their pain
![Bar graph showing a 21% increase in patients responding “agree” to the statement “The in-store cues helped me feel prepared for a consultation about my pain” post-intervention by the Centre for Human Sciences]()
The interventions included signage which provided patients with questions to ask their pharmacist and prompted them to think of their answers to some common questions pharmacists may ask them. Post-intervention, more patients reported feeling prepared for a consultation about their pain (21 percentage point increase).*
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More patients reported receiving pain management advice and a follow-up plan following intervention
![Bar graphs showing positive increases in patients being recommended pain medication plus something other than pain medication to help manage their pain, and receiving follow-up plans for ongoing pain management, as a result of pharmacist training intervention by the Centre for Human Sciences]()
The pharmacist training provided as part of the intervention included refresher content on holistic pain management and the importance of tailored advice. Post-intervention more patients reported receiving management advice and a follow-up plan for their pain.*
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More patients were satisfied with the pharmacist’s explanation of preventative action they could take in future
![Bar graph showing an 11% increase in patients responding “satisfied” to the statement “I was pleased with the preventative action my pharmacist suggested to help with my pain” post-intervention by the Centre for Human Sciences]()
The pharmacist training included exploration of patients concerns and barriers to better self-care, combined with a refresher on holistic pain management. Following intervention which included this training, more patients felt satisfied with their pharmacist’s explanation of preventative pain management.*
The Community Pharmacy Pain Consultations Programme
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![Graphic illustration of a map of Australia with pinpoints showing the 7 eastern Australian pharmacies that partnered with the Centre for Human Sciences to improve patient pain consultations]()
The pilot program was undertaken in 7 pharmacies across eastern Australia
As part of this initiative, the Centre for Human Sciences partnered with Alliance Pharmacy. Together, they placed the behaviour change interventions in seven pharmacies in Australia, with a mix of rural and urban locations, to support patient consultations on over-the-counter treatments for acute and recurring pain.
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![Image of a pharmacist and patient filling out a form]()
Both quantitative and qualitative data was collected pre- and post-intervention to build a full picture of the intervention’s success
In-store self-completed surveys and follow-up interviews with both patients and pharmacists were conducted at each location to access different aspects of the pain consultations and provide data for analysis.
In total, 76 quantitative patient surveys were completed before the programme interventions, and 47 were completed after. With regards to qualitative interviews, 10 were conducted with patients and 5 were conducted with pharmaicts pre-intervention to understand the baseline landscape, and then 5 more interviews were conducted with pharmacists post-intervention.
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![Image of a pharmacist siting at a desk, reviewing documents on a clipboard]()
The demographics of the patients surveyed was similar across both pre- and post-intervention groups
The age of patients who responded to the pre-intervention surveys ranged from 18–98 years, which was slightly wider than the age range of post-intervention respondents who were 20–76 years.
On average, pre-intervention, patients reported slightly higher levels of pain. There were slightly more women than men in both the pre- and post-intervention groups, and most were working Australians who responded to the survey on behalf of themselves. Across both groups, the median age of all patients surveyed was 51 years, with the most frequently reported types of pain being joint pain, muscle pain, and arthritis.
Learn more about the power of human sciences
Take our training
Training for pharmacists from our intervention programme, Pain Management: The Role of Pharmacy, is now available.
Access the in-store cues
Download and print our in-store cues to start harnessing human sciences in your pharmacy today.
Our mission
Find out how we’re working with experts in human sciences to drive patient change.