Assessment of the relevance of a prescribing competency framework in Kuwait – An e-Delphi study

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Abstract Introduction Prescribing is the most common intervention used to manage patients. Globally, prescribing competency frameworks have been developed to standardize prescribing practice across all healthcare disciplines1. Research on prescribing practice in different chronic diseases in Kuwait has shown some inconsistencies in the quality of care delivered to patients. Aim This study assesses the relevance of the National Pharmaceutical Society (NPS) MedicineWise Prescribing Competency Framework statements amongst physicians, dentists, and pharmacists in Kuwait as a first step in developing a National Prescribing Competency Framework for Kuwait. Methods Ethical approval was granted by Kuwait’s Ministry of Health (MOH) for this project. A 4-phase adopt and adapt approach was planned to develop the Prescribing Competency Framework for Kuwait. This study covers phases 1 and 2 of this approach. Phase one involved translating the Framework into Arabic using parallel translation. Phase two utilised the e-Delphi method to reach consensus on the relevance of 48 statements (divided into 7 Competency Areas) for prescribing in Kuwait. For this phase, a survey, with a 4-point Likert scale, was developed using Google Forms and distributed to experts participating in the e-Delphi process. Purposive and snowballing method was used to recruit the experts, targeting all doctors, dentists, and pharmacists working in MOH. Participants were asked to rate their agreement with the relevance of the statements to Kuwait and allowed to leave comments. Statements achieving a consensus level ≥90%, with no answer as strongly disagree, were deemed relevant. Statements not reaching consensus will be reevaluated in Round 2 of the e-Delphi process (planned for July-September 2024). Results The translation phase yielded a bilingual framework that could be utilised by prescribers in Kuwait. Round 1 of the e-Delphi included 36 experts (22 doctors, 8 dentists, and 6 pharmacists). Out of the seven Competency Areas in the NPS framework, four Competency Areas reached 100% consensus (Areas 1, 4, 5, and 6). 90% of the statements in Competency Area 2 reached consensus, while only 40% of the statements in Competency Area 3, and 85.7% of the statements in Competency Area 7 reached consensus. Competency statements that did not reach consensus will be re-assessed in Round 2 of the e-Delphi process. Conclusion To our knowledge, this is the first study conducted to initiate the process of adopting and adapting a Prescribing Competency Framework in Kuwait. Competency statements involving patient engagement in their management plan seemed to gain the least consensus in Round 1 of our study, which will be explored further in Round 2 of our e-Delphi process. This is consistent with current published literature in the Middle Eastern and North African regions which shows that there is no clear understanding by healthcare professionals of how to apply patient-centred care2,3. Limited comments on disagreed statements in Round 1 require further clarification. There is a need to standardize the prescribing process due to the complexity of choosing the right medication, the imperative to optimize medication use, a change in the patient's care models, and the possibility of other healthcare professionals taking on prescribing roles.