Two National Surveys of Hospital Pharmacy Technician Activities to Support the Review of National Qualifications

O’Leary, Karen

doi:10.1002/j.2055-2335.2012.tb00130.x

Cited by 4 publications

(6 citation statements)

References 8 publications

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“…Further, a Certificate IV level qualification in Hospital/Health Services Pharmacy Support was held by some of the pharmacy technicians/assistants in O’Leary’s44 study (cross-sectional cohort, NHRMC level III-3), but not all of them, highlighting the inconsistencies in the level of education required to undertake these advanced roles.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Role, implementation, and effectiveness of advanced allied health assistants: a systematic review

Stanhope¹,

Pearce²

2013

JMDH

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BackgroundThe purpose of this systematic review was to determine the effectiveness and implementation of advanced allied health assistant roles.MethodsA systematic search of seven databases and Google Scholar was conducted to identify studies published in English peer-reviewed journals from 2003 to 2013 and reporting on the effectiveness and implementation of advanced allied health assistant (A/AHA) roles. Reference lists were also screened to identify additional studies, and the authors’ personal collections of studies were searched. Studies were allocated to the National Health and Medical Research Council hierarchy of evidence, and appraisal of higher-level studies (III-1 and above) conducted using the Centre for Evidence Based Medicine Systematic Review Critical Appraisal Sheet for included systematic reviews or the PEDro scale for level II and III-1 studies. Data regarding country, A/AHA title, disciplines, competencies, tasks, level of autonomy, clients, training, and issues regarding the implementation of these roles were extracted, as were outcomes used and key findings for studies investigating their effectiveness.ResultsFifty-three studies were included, and most because they reported background information rather than investigating A/AHA roles, this representing low-level information. A/AHAs work in a range of disciplines, with a variety of client groups, and in a number of different settings. Little was reported regarding the training available for A/AHAs. Four studies investigated the effectiveness of these roles, finding that they were generally well accepted by clients, and provided more therapy time. Issues in integrating these new roles into existing health systems were also reported.ConclusionA/AHA roles are being implemented in a range of settings, and appear to be effective in terms of process measures and stakeholder perceptions. Few studies have investigated these roles, indicating a need for research to be conducted in this area to enable policy-makers to consider the value of these positions and how they can best be utilized.

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The tasks performed by A/AHAs, including their level of autonomy, are reported in Table 4 . This section drew upon 22 studies; however, only one study 44 (cross-sectional cohort, NHMRC level III-3) investigated the advanced tasks being performed by A/AHAs.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Role, implementation, and effectiveness of advanced allied health assistants: a systematic review

Stanhope¹,

Pearce²

2013

JMDH

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“…* s d r a o b p u c n o i t a c i d e m t s e r p m i d r a w g n i k c o t s -e r h t i w t s i s s A 2 ) The competencies required to support clinical pharmacy services are included in Australian hospital pharmacy technician qualifications. 25, 26 However, participating hospitals rarely utilised technicians for tasks other than medication supply and distribution, and even in these areas they were under-utilised. To free up pharmacist time, pharmacy technicians could undertake the bulk of medication supply and distribution activities, play a greater role in the management of patient's own medicines, and support clinical pharmacists by collecting and collating patient-specific data, and drafting information for patient handover.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

National Survey of Clinical Pharmacy Services and Pharmacy Technician Roles for Subacute Aged‐Care Inpatients

Elliott

Perera

O’Leary

2012

Pharmacy Practice and Res

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Background: Subacute aged-care inpatients usually have multiple risk factors for adverse medication events. There is evidence that clinical pharmacy services can improve their medication management. Aim: To describe clinical pharmacy services, pharmacist and pharmacy technician staffing levels, and pharmacy technician roles in the subacute aged-care inpatient setting. Method: A pre-piloted online survey was e-mailed to directors of pharmacy listed in the Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia Directory of Hospital Pharmacy Services 2011. The survey included items about the hospital, number of full-time equivalent (FTE) pharmacists and pharmacy technicians providing clinical and medication distribution services to subacute aged-care beds, clinical pharmacy services provided, and tasks undertaken by pharmacy technicians. Results: 31 evaluable responses were received (estimated response rate 25%). 11 (36%) respondents provided a comprehensive clinical pharmacy service to most subacute aged-care inpatients at least 5 days/week; 8 (26%) respondents were unable to provide a basic clinical pharmacy service. The number of subacute aged-care beds per 1 FTE pharmacist (20-128 beds) and pharmacy technician (15-630 beds) was highly variable. Pharmacy technicians predominantly assisted with distribution of medicines (restocking ward imprest and individual patient supply) and infrequently assisted with clinical pharmacy tasks. Conclusion: Clinical pharmacy service provision to subacute aged-care inpatients was suboptimal at most participating hospitals. Increased FTE pharmacists would be needed to consistently deliver comprehensive clinical pharmacy services. Expanding pharmacy technicians' roles could support the provision of clinical pharmacy services. J Pharm Pract Res 2012; 42: 125-8. BACKGROUNDInpatient subacute aged-care services provide multidisciplinary geriatric evaluation and management, psychogeriatric care (cognitive assessment and management) and/or rehabilitation for older people, usually following an acute illness or deterioration in function. These services may be provided in a designated aged-care unit or a mixed ward environment. 1 The average length of stay for subacute aged-care inpatient beds is longer than for acute inpatient beds (20 vs 5 days). 2

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“…The need to expand pharmacy technician roles to enable pharmacists to spend more time providing clinical services has long been recognised . Although pharmacy technicians have been employed to support pharmacists in hospital settings for many years, Australian surveys indicate that only a minority of pharmacy technician time is spent supporting clinical pharmacy services . Further, there is little literature on the use of pharmacy technicians in subacute inpatient settings …”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…17,18 Although pharmacy technicians have been employed to support pharmacists in hospital settings for many years, Australian surveys indicate that only a minority of pharmacy technician time is spent supporting clinical pharmacy services. [19][20][21] Further, there is little literature on the use of pharmacy technicians in subacute inpatient settings. 22,23 Although clinical pharmacy services provided in subacute wards are similar to those provided in acute-care settings, there are differences.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Impact of an expanded ward pharmacy technician role on service-delivery and workforce outcomes in a subacute aged care service

et al. 2014

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Background Ward pharmacy technicians (WPTs) support hospital pharmacists in the provision of clinical pharmacy services, however they are under‐utilised in Australia. Aim To evaluate the impact of an expanded WPT role within a 56‐bed subacute aged care inpatient service. Method The expanded WPT role included increased hours (from approximately 15.2 to 38 h/week) and an expanded scope of practice. WPT tasks included: assisting with individual patient medication supply, screening medication charts for changes, assisting with medication reconciliation and recording laboratory data for review by the pharmacist. The impact of the redesigned role on workforce and service‐delivery outcomes was evaluated in a prospective before–after study. Data were collected using self‐report, time‐and‐motion studies, dispensing reports and surveys. Results WPT assistance with individual patient medication supply increased from <60% to >80%. In the new workforce model, the WPT assisted with medication reconciliation and recording laboratory data on admission for more than 80% patients. The proportion of pharmacist time spent on clinical tasks increased from 58.0% to 73.9% (p < 0.0001), and unpaid pharmacist overtime fell from a median of 58.4 to 13.4 min/day (p < 0.0001). The median number of pharmacist interventions to resolve medication‐related problems increased from 4 to 9/day (p < 0.0001), and interventions were made earlier in the admission. There were improvements in ward staff satisfaction with some aspects of the pharmacy service, and in the pharmacist's and WPT’s satisfaction with their roles. Conclusion An expanded WPT role improved clinical pharmacy service‐delivery, staff satisfaction and patient care.

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Two National Surveys of Hospital Pharmacy Technician Activities to Support the Review of National Qualifications

Cited by 4 publications

References 8 publications

Role, implementation, and effectiveness of advanced allied health assistants: a systematic review

Role, implementation, and effectiveness of advanced allied health assistants: a systematic review

National Survey of Clinical Pharmacy Services and Pharmacy Technician Roles for Subacute Aged‐Care Inpatients

Impact of an expanded ward pharmacy technician role on service-delivery and workforce outcomes in a subacute aged care service

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