The role of the chemist in primary health care for children with minor complaints.

There has been considerable debate about the professional status of pharmacy and the relationship between pharmacists and the medical profession. There has been less emphasis on the consumers' view of chemists and on the use made of over-the-counter remedies. This paper examines the actual and potential role of the chemist in dealing with minor complaints in young children. A sample of 54 mothers of young children were interviewed in a study examining the cultural context of childhood illness. The use which the mothers made of chemists for advice and for the purchase of proprietary medicines was examined. The findings of this aspect of the study are outlined, and the implications which these have for the role of the chemist within the primary health care team and lay health care network are discussed. In the light of this analysis tentative recommendations are made for an expansion of the role of the chemist in dealing with minor complaints in children.