Community pharmacist perceptions of the loss of resale price maintenance

This study was designed to elicit the views of community pharmacists on any perceived business and professional changes following the loss of resale price maintenance (RPM) A piloted, 22‐point self‐completion questionnaire containing open, closed and scaled response questions was distributed to 35 independent (<10 stores), 13 multiple group and three supermarket‐based pharmacies, and 40 responses were obtained (29 independent, eight multiple and three supermarket) Theme analysis indicated that 20 respondents felt that an increased range of services was now provided, 27 reported a decreased sales potential and 25 thought that patients now purchased more medicines The average price at which eight common over‐the‐counter medicines were offered was found to be £4.34 in independents, £4.37 in multiples and £4.22 in the supermarket pharmacies, compared with an average standard list price of £4.32 There are indications that removal of RPM may have instigated changes in community pharmacy     

Community pharmacist perceptions of delivering post-hospital discharge Medicines Use Reviews for elderly patients

Background The UK’s Department of Health has recommended that formal communication channels between hospital and community pharmacy should be established so that post discharge Medicines Use Reviews (dMUR) become an integral part of the medicines pathway. Objective To investigate the perspective of community pharmacists on the usefulness of dMUR referrals from hospital, the suitability of patients referred and overall views on the service. Method Self-completed survey distributed to 21 community pharmacists who had received referrals from the hospital during a 9-month randomized controlled feasibility study. Results Nineteen pharmacists (90.4%) returned the survey. Seven (36.8%) felt that it was hard to engage patients with dMURs. Failure or inability of patients to attend the pharmacy were the most common barriers. Reasons for medication changes (n = 5) and indications for new medicines (n = 4) were the most common examples of extra information that would be useful on referral. Community pharmacists held positive opinions on the dMUR service and could see the benefit to patients. Pharmacists wanted more referrals but reported performing few dMURs outside this study. Conclusion This study highlights the need to improve communication between hospital and community pharmacies and to overcome barriers to performing dMURs outside the pharmacy premises in this patient group.     

Defining key pharmacist and technician roles in response to a hospital downtime or cyberattack

The occurrence of ransomware, or “cyberattacks,” on hospital institutions has steadily increased in recent years. Pharmacy departments that rely on automation and software applications are greatly affected when those systems are offline. Pharmacy workflow without automation can be manually intensive and unsafe for patients. More challenges may be present if the hospital pharmacy is not prepared for a cyberattack or does not have standardized downtime procedures for such an event. This article describes a specific event that took place at a 350-bed acute care hospital located in the United States during the summer of 2021. The hospital lost access to the electronic health record, admitting and registration system, financial systems, pharmacy information systems, barcode medication administration systems, server for the automated dispensing cabinets or inventory management applications, diversion software, compliance applications, and all clinical decision support tools. The goal is to describe a standardized downtime procedure for medication management by identifying specific pharmacist and technician roles when automated processes are offline.     

Opportunity or threat? General practitioner perceptions of pharmacist prescribing

Objective In recent years prescribing rights have been extended beyond doctors and dentists in the UK, first to nurses and subsequently to pharmacists. The aim of the study was to explore general practitioner (GP) perceptions of the advantages and disadvantages of pharmacist supplementary prescribing and the future introduction of independent prescribing. Method A qualitative study was conducted with GPs from three practices, in each of which a pharmacist prescriber was regularly working. Key findings The prescribing pharmacists, all of whom were already working in the practice when they qualified as prescribers, had negotiated new areas of work. Not all GPs in the practices referred patients to the prescribing pharmacists. Those GPs who did refer patients generally described benefits from the service, with some ambivalence. There was evidence that the GPs had, to some extent, redefined their professional boundaries, and delegated some routine work which involved no diagnosis and only limited decision making. In this way the GPs exercised control over the interprofessional boundaries. Conclusion The study findings indicate selective acceptance of pharmacist prescribing by GPs.     

Exploring employer perceptions of pharmacy technician certification in the community pharmacy setting

BackgroundWith the evolving roles of pharmacy technicians in the United States, the profession has attempted to define a national standard. Community pharmacy employers to-date have preferred on-the-job training to formal, accredited training programs or credentialing, however, limited evidence exists on the perceived needs of pharmacy technicians in the United States compared to those of community pharmacy employers.ObjectivesThe aims of this study were to explore: 1) community pharmacy employer perceptions of associated benefits and perceived value of pharmacy technician certification and 2) needs of employers related to pharmacy technician attitudes and knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs).MethodsUsing a semi-structured interview guide, researchers interviewed 7 community pharmacy employers within top management teams in a variety of community pharmacy settings. The data were analyzed for themes using the human capital vs. signal theory.ResultsEmployers and managers generally saw both attitude and KSAs as vital to success. However, given a choice between experience and attitude, attitude was preferred. There was general agreement that certified technicians offered more value to their organization, however gaps in certified technician KSAs were noted (i.e., lack of day-to-day practical skills, vaccination screening, motivating patients to change behaviors, patient communication and workflow management).ConclusionsNew emerging directions for certification now exist due to the rapidly shifting pharmacy landscape, which is revolves around new and expanded clinical patient care services. This shifting landscape has exposed gaps, reinforced strengths, and uncovered potential new opportunities and needs related to technician certification.     

The introduction of a checking technician programme in community pharmacy and its impact on pharmacist activities

Introducing checking technicians in community practice is feasible Patient safety is not compromised The dispensing process became safer     

Patient perceptions of student pharmacist–run mobile influenza vaccination clinics

Objective

To assess patients’ perceptions of student pharmacist–run mobile influenza immunization clinics, including satisfaction, comfort, comparison to other experiences, and the views of pharmacists as immunizers.

The role of the Danish community pharmacist: perceptions and future scenarios

In recent decades, dramatic changes of the role of the Danish community pharmacist have contributed to widespread uncertainty among professionals about the future content of their job. This case study, which is based on qualitative research interviews and documentary material, describes how key actors belonging to 10 different relevant social groups who have been influential in shaping the role of Danish community pharmacists have different perceptions of the pharmacy profession. These perceptions include: the community pharmacist as a provider of technical, standardised advice, the pharmacist as a drug expert, the pharmacist as a leader, and the pharmacist as a provider of individualised advice. Five future scenarios for the community pharmacist ranging from a role as a pharmacist with no future to a role as the provider of individualised information and future role developer are also described and analysed in the paper. The case study is theoretically based on a specific social constructivist theory, the Social Construction of Technology (SCOT).     

Neuroscience exposure and perceptions of client responsibility among addictions counselors

Members of the National Association of Alcoholism and Drug Abuse Counselors (n = 231) participated in a survey concerning their view of the role of personal responsibility in addictions treatment and its relation to their exposure to neuroscience (i.e., the amount to which members considered themselves familiar with current neuroscience research). We used the two-dimensional model of responsibility (Responsible/not responsible for development × Responsible/not responsible for recovery) proposed by P. Brickman et al. (1982) to guide our assessment of responsibility, thus inquiring about counselors' views of clients' responsibility for both the development of a substance-related addiction and its resolution. Findings suggest that counselors rate biological factors as most influential in the development of an addiction and assign clients less personal responsibility for the development of an addiction than for recovery from an addiction. Counselors' level of neuroscience exposure was negatively correlated with their ratings of client responsibility for the development of an addiction but positively correlated to ratings of client responsibility for recovery. This suggests that counselors are integrating neuroscientific findings with what is learned from other modes of enquiry in a way that diminishes the view that clients are responsible for addiction development but accentuates the view that clients are responsible for recovery. We explore reasons for why this is and why this approach may be beneficial.     

Public perceptions of responsibility and liability in the licensed drinking environment

This study reports the results of a survey conducted in Perth (Western Australia) to assess public perceptions of the concepts of server responsibility and server liability. Eleven hundred and sixty persons aged 16 and over were asked if they thought licensees and barstaff should be held partly responsible when someone becomes intoxicated on licensed premises, or licensees and barstaff should be partly liable for injuries caused by an intoxicated person after leaving licensed premises. Results indicate that, on average, few people agreed to either proposition, despite an overwhelming majority believing that continuing to serve an intoxicated person increases the risk of an accident. However, when analysed by category of respondent, non-drinkers and persons aged over 30 were significantly more likely to agree with licensees and barstaff being partly responsible for someone becoming intoxicated, and for them to be partly liable in the case of an accident involving an intoxicated customer. The results of this survey indicate the need for education programmes to convince the public that excessive alcohol consumption and the resulting harm is not merely the responsibility of the individuals concerned, but is also the responsibility of those groups and individuals involved in the promotion, marketing and sale of alcohol. We suggest that such education campaigns might best be targeted at those groups where least support was found, young drinkers (18-24 years) and the servers of alcohol.     

Community pharmacist led,employer-based wellness services: A pilot study

The emphasis that United States employers are placing on employee wellness continues to grow; however, most attention has been paid to larger firms to gauge return-on-investment from a larger pool of enrollees. With fewer resources available to fund expansive wellness programs, smaller businesses need a cost-effective mechanism to provide such benefits. As the most accessible healthcare provider, community pharmacists are in an ideal position to support certain wellness programs for smaller businesses. This research piloted a community pharmacist-led, employer-sponsored wellness program for a self-insured financial services company in Tennessee. Employees with diabetes, hypertension, hyperlipidemia, asthma, or COPD were recruited from the partnering firm to receive live, one-on-one counseling from a community pharmacist over a calendar year. Each session was tailored to individual employee's needs and goals but generally focused on medication adherence, diet, exercise, and health maintenance strategies. Fifteen employees participated in the program, and improvements in clinical measures were not realized over the course of a year. Some, albeit not statistically significant, improvements were seen in self-reported medication adherence and quality of life; however, a trend toward some weight gain was observed. Results suggest that, similar to Medicare beneficiaries, working-age adults with certain chronic conditions may benefit from pharmacist-led MTM programs but deeper investigation is needed.