title: Beliefs about inhaled corticosteroids: Comparison of community pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and patients with asthma.
abstract: To compare pharmacists' and pharmacy technicians' perceptions of patients' beliefs regarding inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) with those of patients and to compare the ICS beliefs of pharmacists and technicians with those of patients with asthma.
  
  
  
  1269 community pharmacies were approached to fill out an online questionnaire; 1952 patients were sent a questionnaire by post. Beliefs (i.e., necessity and concerns) regarding ICS were measured using (an adapted version of) the Beliefs about Medicines Questionnaire (BMQ-specific). Pharmacists and technicians were instructed to fill out the BMQ for themselves, and to fill it out in the way they thought most of their patients would complete it.
  
  
  
  136 pharmacists, 90 pharmacy technicians and 161 patients with asthma completed the questionnaire. Pharmacists and technicians thought patients had more concerns about ICS than patients themselves reported (p < 0.0001). They also thought that patients had stronger beliefs in their personal need for ICS than patients reported (p < 0.01). Pharmacists reported lower levels of concerns than patients (p < 0.05) and both providers attributed a higher level of necessity to ICS than patients did (p < 0.0001).
  
  
  
  Pharmacists and technicians overestimate the personal need for treatment as well as the concerns patients with asthma have regarding ICS. They also have, to some extent, stronger positive beliefs about ICS than patients. If pharmacists and technicians expect that patients share their positive views about ICS, they might be less likely to elicit and address patients' doubts and concerns about ICS, which might be relevant for effective ICS treatment and subsequent patient outcomes.
authors.affiliation: a NIVEL, Netherlands institute for health services research , Utrecht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Jeanine A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Driesenaar
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Pharmacy , Radboud University Medical Center , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.|c IQ Healthcare, Radboud University Medical Center , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Peter A G M
authors.initials: PA
authors.lastname: De Smet
authors.affiliation: d Division of Pharmacoepidemiology & Clinical Pharmacology , Utrecht University , Utrecht , The Netherlands.|e Department of Pharmacotherapy and Pharmaceutical Care , University of Groningen , Groningen , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Rolf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: van Hulten
authors.affiliation: f Centre for Behavioral Medicine, Department of Practice and Policy , UCL School of Pharmacy , London , United Kingdom.
authors.forename: Rob
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Horne
authors.affiliation: a NIVEL, Netherlands institute for health services research , Utrecht , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Hanneke
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Zwikker
authors.affiliation: b Department of Clinical Pharmacy , Radboud University Medical Center , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.|g Department of Pharmacy , Sint Maartenskliniek , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.
authors.forename: Bart
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: van den Bemt
authors.affiliation: a NIVEL, Netherlands institute for health services research , Utrecht , The Netherlands.|h Department of Primary and Community Care , Radboud University Medical Center , Nijmegen , The Netherlands.|i Faculty of Health Sciences , Buskerud and Vestfold University College , Drammen , Norway.
authors.forename: Sandra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: van Dulmen
mesh_terms: D000280:Administration, Inhalation; D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010595:Pharmacists / Q000523:psychology*; D010596:Pharmacy Technicians / Q000523:psychology*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D000305:Adrenal Cortex Hormones; D018927:Anti-Asthmatic Agents
keywords: Beliefs about medicines; adherence; patient-centered communication; patient-pharmacist communication; perceptions of patients'  beliefs