Table 4 Collaboration between physicians, pharmacists and other health care professionals

"Pharmacists can provide feedback to the patients' physicians and suggest which medications are more appropriate, rather than asking the patients to change the prescriptions directly. Usually there are some clinical reasons why the medication is prescribed." (Physician)

"Each patient should have a list or we need to have a system to record what kinds of drugs the patient are taking...Some patients consult numbers of doctors and take many medications..."(Physician)

"We can share tasks like education and lifestyle modifications with physicians. And if we notice that the patients have problems, we can refer them back to their doctors ... We can ask the TCM practitioners or dispensers what Chinese medicines and treatments the patients are using, but as there is still no concrete evidence to show the interactions between western and Chinese medicines, this would inhibit our collaboration ..." (Pharmacist)

"In medical and Chinese medicine trainings, students of both disciplines need to have some basic understanding about each other... I would give my opinions on Chinese medicine to patients, but if they have questions on western medicines and treatments, I would encourage patients to ask their physicians. As divergence of views between western and Chinese medicines exists, we better focus on our own area." (TCM dispenser)