The use of MDS and HCA enabled pharmacists to reveal their roles which reflect on country of practice and cultural differences when improving patients adherence to asthma medication

Pharmacists are health care professionals who have a lot more to offer to the public rather than just selling

pills. Pharmacists live a dichotomy role: health care consultants versus shop keepers. The aim of this research was

to assess how pharmacists intervene improving patient adherence to asthma medication and to see how

pharmacists perceived themselves. The research was conducted by means of a multiple choice

questionnaire that was completed by 551 pharmacists. The replies were analysed using Ordinal

Multidimensional Scaling and Cluster Analysis, with the routine PROXSCAL. Pharmacists revealed their

roles in terms of four dimensions: a community health orientation, theoretical-applied drug orientation,

the degree of involvement with the patient and the role of the pharmacist as a consultant. These

dimensions have different salience in each one of the countries.