Longitudinal qualitative evaluation of pharmacist integration into the urgent care setting

• Published in: Integrated pharmacy research and practice Vol. 7; pp. 93 - 104
• Main Authors: Wright, David J, Adams, Richard J, Blacklock, Jeanette, Corlett, Sarah A, Harmston, Rebecca, McWilliams, Margaret, Whyte, Stephen-Andrew, Fleming, Gail
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New Zealand Dove Medical Press Limited 01.01.2018; Taylor & Francis Ltd; Dove Medical Press
• Subjects: accident & emergency; Advanced clinical practitioner; Clinical medicine; Departments; Drug stores; Education; Emergency medical care; Experiential learning; focus groups; General practitioners; Health education; Hospitals; interviews; Medicine; Mentoring; Mentors; Nurses; Nursing care; Original Research; Patient satisfaction; Patients; Pharmacists; Physicians; Physiology; Primary care; Professionals; Qualitative research; Research methodology; Roles; training; Wages and salaries; Workforce; Workloads; United Kingdom; United Kingdom > UK; England; United States > US; accident and emergency; training; education; advanced clinical practitioner; focus groups; interviews
• ISSN: 2230-5254; 2230-5254
• DOI: 10.2147/IPRP.S168471

To describe the most effective model for managing, educating, and training pharmacist advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs) in the urgent care center (UCC) setting, role evolution and how to measure their effectiveness. Ethical approval was obtained to perform a qualitative longitudinal cohort study in three sites, with three pharmacists in each trained as ACPs from 2016 to 2017. ACP role, location, management, mentorship, and supervision were locally determined. ACPs attended focus groups (FGs) at 1 and 3 months (sites 1-3), 6 and 12 months (site 1 only), and the UCC staff were interviewed once with a topic guide regarding training, integration, role, and impact. Verbatim transcriptions were analyzed thematically. Eight ACP FGs and 24 stakeholder interviews produced major themes of communication, management, education and training, role, and outcomes. Effective education, training, and integration required communication of role to address concerns regarding salary differentials, supportive management structure, and multi-professional learning. ACPs reported that the model of workplace training, experiential learning, and university-based education was appropriate. Training was better located in the minor injuries and general practitioner areas. Recommended measures of effectiveness included patient satisfaction and workload transfer. The education and training model was appropriate. Communication and management require careful consideration to ensure effective integration and role development. Pharmacists were better located initially in the minor illness rather than major trauma areas. Quality of patient experience resulting from the new role was important in addition to reassurance that the role represented a positive contribution to workload.