title: Health promotion at Swedish pharmacies - views of the staff.
abstract: The role of pharmacy has changed dramatically during the last decades, which has led to new demands on pharmacy personnel.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  This study aims at exploring the attitudes of Swedish pharmacy personnel on their role as public health promoters and to look at the opportunities and obstacles they identify in the efforts to widen the pharmacy remit to include a wider health approach. Method Eight focus group discussions were conducted with a strategic sample of pharmacy personnel working in two counties in Sweden. The discussions were transcribed verbatim and analysed by qualitative inductive analysis. Results Five themes were identified, "Pharmacy activities impact on public health", "The employer, Apoteket AB", "The new role welcomed", "Obstacles in the new role", and "Need of change and support". Conclusion The concept of pharmacy personnel as public health promoters was not initially in the mindset of the participants. In the process of discussion, the impact of traditional pharmacy practice as well as new pharmacy based initiatives on public health gradually became more obvious to them. The findings show a pharmacy staff involved in a process of change. The participants have not yet landed in their new role as public health promoters and the study shows that practical as well as conceptual support is needed in order for pharmacy personnel to play a more important role in public health.
authors.affiliation: Division of International Health, IHCAR, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, and Department of Public Health and Caring Sciences, Health Services Research, Uppsala University , Uppsala ( Sweden ).
authors.forename: Ingeborg
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Björkman
authors.affiliation: Division of International Health, IHCAR, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm ( Sweden ).
authors.forename: Nina
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Viberg
authors.affiliation: Division of International Health, IHCAR, Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm ( Sweden ).
authors.forename: Linda
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rydberg
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinska Institutet , Stockholm, Professor, Nordic School of Public Health, Göteborg, and Apoteket AB, Stockholm ( Sweden ).
authors.forename: Cecilia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Stålsby Lundborg
keywords: Community Pharmacy Services; Professional Practice; Public Health Practice; Sweden