Creating a new rural pharmacy workforce: Development and implementation of the Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative

Scott, Mollie Ashe; Kiser, Stephanie; Park, Irene; Grandy, Rebecca; Joyner, P. U.

doi:10.2146/ajhp160727

Cited by 12 publications

(5 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Due to this maldistribution, government initiatives have been established to encourage recruitment and retention of rural pharmacists. One such initiative is the provision of rural pharmacy training packages for pharmacy students, often as tailored interprofessional placements [ 5 , 17 ]. Current research and initiatives tend to focus on undergraduate pharmacy students with few studies targeting the post-registration pharmacist workforce.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors contributing to the recruitment and retention of rural pharmacist workforce: a systematic review

Terry

Phan

Peck

et al. 2021

BMC Health Serv Res

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Background Recruiting and retaining medical, nursing, and allied health professionals in rural and remote areas is a worldwide challenge, compromising continuity of care and population health outcomes in these locations. Specifically, pharmacists play an essential and accessible frontline healthcare role, and are often the first point of contact for health concerns. Despite several incentives, there remains a maldistribution and undersupply of pharmacists in rural and remote areas across many parts of the world. Although current systematic reviews have focussed on factors affecting pharmacists’ retention generally, literature specifically focused on rural pharmacist workforce in a global context remains limited. The aim of this systematic review is to identify factors associated with recruitment and retention of the pharmacist workforce in rural and remote settings. Better understanding of these contributors will inform more effective interventional strategies to resolve pharmacist workforce shortages. Methods A systematic search of primary studies was conducted in online databases, including Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, Web of Science and PsycINFO, and by hand-searching of reference lists. Eligible studies were identified based on predefined inclusion/exclusion criteria and methodological quality criteria, utilising the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) and Good Reporting of A Mixed Methods Study (GRAMMS) checklists. Results The final review included 13 studies, with quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods research design. Study-specific factors associated with recruitment and retention of pharmacists in rural practice were identified and grouped into five main themes: geographic and family-related, economic and resources, scope of practice or skills development, the practice environment, and community and practice support factors. Conclusions The results provide critical insights into the complexities of rural recruitment and retention of pharmacists and confirms the need for flexible yet multifaceted responses to overcoming rural pharmacist workforce challenges. Overall, the results provide an opportunity for rural communities and health services to better identify key strengths and challenges unique to the rural and remote pharmacist workforce that may be augmented to guide more focussed recruitment and retention endeavours.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Factors contributing to the recruitment and retention of rural pharmacist workforce: a systematic review

Terry

Phan

Peck

et al. 2021

BMC Health Serv Res

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“…Globally, the pipeline approach is also used by New Zealand [91], Germany, [92], and Northern Norway [93]. Pipeline approaches have also been used for allied health professionals, including pharmacists [94].…”

Section: Educational Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Human resources for health interventions in high- and middle-income countries: findings of an evidence review

et al. 2020

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Many high-and middle-income countries face challenges in developing and maintaining a health workforce which can address changing population health needs. They have experimented with interventions which overlap with but have differences to those documented in low-and middle-income countries, where many of the recent literature reviews were undertaken. The aim of this paper is to fill that gap. It examines published and grey evidence on interventions to train, recruit, retain, distribute, and manage an effective health workforce, focusing on physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals in high-and middle-income countries. A search of databases, websites, and relevant references was carried out in March 2019. One hundred thirty-one reports or papers were selected for extraction, using a template which followed a health labor market structure. Many studies were cross-cutting; however, the largest number of country studies was focused on Canada, Australia, and the United States of America. The studies were relatively balanced across occupational groups. The largest number focused on availability, followed by performance and then distribution. Study numbers peaked in 2013-2016. A range of study types was included, with a high number of descriptive studies. Some topics were more deeply documented than others-there is, for example, a large number of studies on human resources for health (HRH) planning, educational interventions, and policies to reduce in-migration, but much less on topics such as HRH financing and task shifting. It is also evident that some policy actions may address more than one area of challenge, but equally that some policy actions may have conflicting results for different challenges. Although some of the interventions have been more used and documented in relation to specific cadres, many of the lessons appear to apply across them, with tailoring required to reflect individuals' characteristics, such as age, location, and preferences. Useful lessons can be learned from these higher-income settings for low-and middle-income settings. Much of the literature is descriptive, rather than evaluative, reflecting the organic way in which many HRH reforms are introduced. A more rigorous approach to testing HRH interventions is recommended to improve the evidence in this area of health systems strengthening.

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“…This initiative allows students to learn about the challenges associated with rural health management including limited health literacy, inadequate access to health care, the increased incidence of chronic disease, and financial difficulties. Throughout the three-year curriculum, students invest in their "adopted community" by developing a population health project that presents interventions for a previously unmet health care needs present within that community [15]. Through this program, not only are students collaborating interprofessionally with UNC School of Medicine students, but they are also experiencing humbling encounters one would only receive when focused on helping the underserved.…”

Section: Moving Forwardmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Evolving Role of the Pharmacist in Interprofessional Practice

Brown

Salerno

Poindexter

et al. 2019

North Carolina Medical Journal

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Creating a new rural pharmacy workforce: Development and implementation of the Rural Pharmacy Health Initiative

Abstract: The Rural Pharmacy Health Certificate program at UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy seeks to transform rural pharmacy practice by creating a pipeline of rural pharmacy leaders and teaching a unique skillset that will be beneficial to healthcare systems, communities, and patients.

Cited by 12 publications

References 11 publications

Factors contributing to the recruitment and retention of rural pharmacist workforce: a systematic review

Factors contributing to the recruitment and retention of rural pharmacist workforce: a systematic review

Human resources for health interventions in high- and middle-income countries: findings of an evidence review

The Evolving Role of the Pharmacist in Interprofessional Practice

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