An evaluation of the role of practice pharmacists in Australia: a mixed methods study

Baker, Shenade; Lee, Ya Ping; Hattingh, Laetitia

doi:10.1007/s11096-019-00807-5

Cited by 19 publications

(53 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…On the contrary, supportive practice and the presence of an experienced pharmacist in the workplace were identified as facilitators to integration into GP. Besides England [17], similar findings have also been reported by other studies involving different international healthcare systems including Canada [37,39], Australia [14] and New Zealand [40]. A number of policies has been introduced recently in the UK and not just in England to expand the current involvement of clinical pharmacists in general practice [18,34,41].…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

“…Several studies conducted in the United Kingdom, Australia and Canada suggest that pharmacists' role within GP have developed and evolved recently towards a more clinically oriented role [13][14][15]. In 2015, the National Health Service England (NHSE) launched the 'Clinical pharmacists in General Practice' pilot scheme which started with funding 490 clinical pharmacists (CPs) for supporting the management of long-terms conditions and improving patients experience in GP settings [16,17].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Evaluating the role and integration of general practice pharmacists in England: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2021

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Background Since 2015, NHS England has facilitated the recruitment of pharmacists in general practice (GP) to reduce workload of general practitioners. The role of pharmacists is therefore expected to become more clinical and patient oriented. However, little is known about the current roles performed and the integration of GP pharmacists. Objective To assess the role performed by GP pharmacists and their integration into practice exploring facilitators and barriers to integration. Setting A cross-sectional survey of GP pharmacists in England. Method This study used both online and paper-based questionnaires for a period of six months. Survey items included demographics, roles performed, integration including available support and practice environment. Quantitative data were analysed using descriptive statistics and 95% confidence intervals. Open comments were analysed thematically to identify pharmacists’ perceptions of barriers and facilitators to their integration into practice. Main outcome measure Current role and integration of pharmacists into GP. Results 195 participants completed the questionnaire. Three quarters of pharmacists (76%) had only been in GP since 2015. Most pharmacists (81%) were independent prescribers (PIPs). The most reported pharmacists’ roles were medicine reconciliation (95%), telephone support for patients (95%) and face-to-face medication review (91%). 82% (95% CI: 76% to 86.8%) were satisfied with their overall integration into practice. Half of pharmacists (45%) were working in a shared office or at a hot desk and 9% had no designated workspace. PIPs had more access to a convenient workplace (p = 0.016) compared to non-IPs. Conclusion Practice pharmacists are fulfilling a wide range of clinical and non-clinical roles in England. Findings highlight relatively a satisfactory level of pharmacists’ integration into practice and shed the light on their integration issues. These findings could be significant for the development of future roles of pharmacists in GP.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 80%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Evaluating the role and integration of general practice pharmacists in England: a cross-sectional study

et al. 2021

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“…The included articles aimed to: (i) characterise the clinical and non-clinical activities that a pharmacist can perform in general practice [ 32 , 39 , 42 , 44 , 46 , 51 – 53 , 55 , 56 , 62 ], (ii) explore the pharmacist recommendations and general practitioner acceptance rates regarding medication-related decision-making in general practice [ 43 , 49 – 51 ], and (iii) explain the stakeholders’ perspectives, barriers and facilitators of the inclusion of a pharmacist into general practice [ 40 , 41 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 51 , 54 , 57 – 59 , 61 ]. The included articles utilised designs that were qualitative (40%, n = 10) [ 40 , 42 , 45 , 47 , 48 , 55 , 58 , 59 , 61 , 62 ], quantitative non-randomised control (32%, n = 8) [ 39 , 43 , 46 , 49 , 50 , 52 , 56 , 60 ], quantitative descriptive (8%, n = 2) [ 32 , 41 ], and mixed-method (20%, n = 5) [ 44 , 51 , 53 , 54 , 57 ].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

General practice pharmacists in Australia: A systematic review

et al. 2021

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Background The inclusion of pharmacists into general practices in Australia has expanded in recent years. This systematic review aimed to synthesise the literature of qualitative and quantitative studies, and identify the knowledge gaps, related to pharmacists working in general practice in Australia. Methods This systematic review followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. PubMed, EBSCOhost, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library were searched from the inception of databases to January 2021. The search was focused on studies investigating general practice pharmacists in Australia. The quality of each study was appraised using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool criteria. The narrative synthesis approach was utilised to describe data due to the heterogeneity among study designs and measures. Results Twenty-five studies were included in this review. General practice pharmacists engaged in various non-dispensing patient care services, with medication management reviews being the primary activity reported. General practice pharmacists’ characteristics and an environment with a willingness of collaboration were the notable influencing factors for successfully including pharmacists in general practices. Factors that posed a challenge to the adoption of general practice pharmacists were lack of funding and other resources, poorly defined roles, and absence of mentoring/training. Conclusion This review has summarised the characteristics, activities, benefits, barriers, and facilitators of including pharmacists in general practices in Australia. General practice pharmacists are well accepted by stakeholders, and they can engage in a range of patient-centred activities to benefit patients. There is a need for more robust research to explore the patient and economic outcomes related to clinical activities that a pharmacist can perform in general practice, as a foundation to developing an appropriate and sustainable funding model. The findings of this review will be beneficial for pharmacists, researchers, policymakers, and readers who wish to implement the role of general practice pharmacists in the future.

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“…It is therefore understandable that these monies will be used where they generate the most income for the practice. While this has traditionally made pharmacists a less attractive proposition, recent research may help to change that perception 5 …”

Section: Pharmacists In General Practicementioning

confidence: 99%

“…While this has traditionally made pharmacists a less attractive proposition, recent research may help to change that perception. 5…”

Section: Funding For Practice Pharmacist Rolesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prescribing and medicines management ‘Down Under’

Thompson

2021

Prescriber

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An evaluation of the role of practice pharmacists in Australia: a mixed methods study

Cited by 19 publications

References 23 publications

Evaluating the role and integration of general practice pharmacists in England: a cross-sectional study

Evaluating the role and integration of general practice pharmacists in England: a cross-sectional study

General practice pharmacists in Australia: A systematic review

Prescribing and medicines management ‘Down Under’

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