Remuneration is being touted as one of the major issues involved in integrating more pharmacists into general practice settings. According to a paper published in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research, of the 26 practice pharmacists who completed a questionnaire, most worked as independent contractors in providing services.

Practice pharmacists were most commonly conducing Home Medicine Reviews, responding to clinical enquiries from general practitioners and responding to enquiries from other health professionals, as they often work in settings with multiple general practitioners and allied health professionals. The paper concluded that for this model of pharmacist practice to expand an appropriate method of remuneration is required.

Researchers from the Charming Institute, UQ’s School of Pharmacy, QUT’s School of Clinical Sciences and DR Pharmacy Consulting were involved in the study.