Jetha, M;
Man, K;
Abdulla, D;
Austin, Z;
(2021)
Exploring multi-stakeholder perceptions of practice-related facilitators to optimising the quality of integration of regulated pharmacy technicians in community pharmacy in Ontario: A qualitative study.
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice
, Article riab010. 10.1093/ijpp/riab010.
(In press).
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Abstract
OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study was to investigate multi-stakeholder perceptions of practice-related facilitators to optimising the quality of Regulated Pharmacy Technician (RPT) integration into the community workforce in Ontario. Facilitators to incorporating technicians into the workflow and supporting their optimal scope of practice were explored. METHODS: A qualitative exploratory study comprising a series of one-to-one interviews using a piloted, semi-structured interview guide was conducted with four community pharmacy stakeholder groups; pharmacists, RPTs, pharmacy assistants and pharmacy owners. Interviews were conducted until saturation of themes. Verbatim transcripts were coded inductively using the software, NVivo v12 (QSR International) and general inductive analysis identified key findings. KEY FINDINGS: Twenty-seven interviews were conducted consisting of seven pharmacists, seven RPTs, eight assistants and five pharmacy owners working within community pharmacy and/or academia or hospital. All participants from every stakeholder group acknowledged that the promise of regulation of pharmacy technicians was unfulfilled in practice. Three major themes of practical significance were derived: (i) A viable business plan that incorporates RPT remuneration and ensures sustainability is a facilitator to fuller integration of RPTs, (ii) Planning the pharmacy workflow to support RPTs’ and pharmacists’ evolving scopes is a facilitator to RPT integration and (iii) Schedule planning to incorporate RPTs and appropriate staffing ratios in relation to prescription volume and pharmacy services allows for optimal utilisation of RPT skills and facilitates their integration. CONCLUSIONS: Achieving integration of RPTs into the business of a community pharmacy has educational, workplace and regulatory implications, requiring the effective engagement of all stakeholders in pharmacy.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | Exploring multi-stakeholder perceptions of practice-related facilitators to optimising the quality of integration of regulated pharmacy technicians in community pharmacy in Ontario: A qualitative study |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/ijpp/riab010 |
| Publisher version: | https://doi.org/10.1093/ijpp/riab010 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | © The Author(s) 2021. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society. This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted reuse, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. |
| Keywords: | Community pharmacy, support staff, community pharmacy, workforce, professional practice, skill mix, Pharmacy technicians |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Life Sciences > UCL School of Pharmacy > Practice and Policy |
| URI: | https://discovery-pp.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10123294 |
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