Qualitative content analysis table of consumer interviews
| Theme | Description | Count | Exemplars |
| Informative | Appreciation of the detailed information provided and the visual tour of the ear | 48 | I got to see the inside of my ear which I had never done before and have it explained to me which was really good. Was really helpful in explaining what the issue was and what she was treating me with that day. |
| Confidence | Trust, comfortability and confidence of the pharmacists’ skills and knowledge to provide the service | 41 | They were trained very well … very knowledgeable. What the doctor does is less, the pharmacist was more thorough. |
| Availability of local GP appointments | Difficulty in being able to make a GP appointment in an appropriate timeframe | 32 | When I need to book to see a GP it takes two weeks. You have no choice when your kid is sick here but to go to the hospital and wait for 7.5 hours because there is no GP appointments. |
| Willingness to pay | Explanations of participants’ willingness to pay or not pay for the service | 30 | I would pay because it was so quick, easy and inclusive. I don’t pay for the doctors so I wouldn’t pay for the pharmacist. You have to pay at the doctors so I don’t see a difference. |
| Reassurance | A feeling of reassurance about the ear complaint | 29 | I felt more comfortable about why I was having pain and treatment. Put my mind at ease so I didn’t need to go to the doctor. |
| Pharmacy convenience and accessibility | Positive associations with pharmacy accessibility and immediate service provision | 29 | It was convenient, you didn’t have to book an appointment. Going to the pharmacy was easier because if I need something for my ears you have it there already. |
| Expanded scope for pharmacists | Support for pharmacists to provide other expanded services or an extension of this service (eg, prescribing and syringing) | 9 | If the pharmacists can see it’s infected, they should be able to give me the drops (antibiotics). Pharmacists are definitely trained to give you medications if you need them for something like a simple ear infection so giving them capabilities to be able to do that would be fantastic and it would relieve a lot of pressure off GPs. |
GP, general practitioner.