These researchers reviewed the literature on counselling in pharmacy and interaction length as an indicator of counselling quality, focusing on what services indigenous (Māori) and immigrant populations use pharmacies for, and length of interactions with pharmacy staff. 1,086 interactions were discretely observed in 36 pharmacies in 5 New Zealand cities. Māori or Pacific people, as well as men, were more likely to treat pharmacies as prescription ‘depots’; they were less likely to buy over-the-counter or pharmacist-only medicines (ORs: 0.25 to 0.72). Demographic factors had scant influence upon interaction length (|B|s < 7.7 s). The study authors suggest that the weak effect of ethnicity on interaction length indicates that pharmacies are providing advice of relatively consistent quality to different population groups. They discuss possible barriers to use of pharmacies for primary healthcare, including over-the-counter medicines in Māori and Pacific people.
