Abstract
Despite reported benefits of pharmacy trainees (e.g., pharmacy students, pharmacy residents) in hospital settings, limited research on the impact of these trainees has been conducted in rural primary care. To explore the potential benefits and impact of pharmacy trainees practicing in a supervised collaborative rural primary care setting, a retrospective chart review was conducted. Drug therapy problems (DTPs) were classified using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE V9) system. Valuation was measured using a validated tool developed by Overhage and Lukes (1999). Over 16 weeks on a part-time basis, pharmacy trainees (n = 3) identified 366 DTPs during 153 patient encounters. The most common causes for DTPs were related to patient transfers and the need for education. Drug level interventions carried out directly by trainees under supervision accounted for 13.1% of total interventions. Interventions that required prescriber authorization had an acceptance rate of 83.25%, 25% higher than previous acceptance rates found in urban primary care settings. About half (51%) of the interventions proposed and made by pharmacy trainees were classified as significant or very significant, suggesting these trainees added significant value to the pharmacy service provided to rural community residents. This study suggests that pharmacy trainees can be effective resources and contribute meaningfully to patient care in a collaborative rural primary care team setting.
Highlights
The scope of pharmacy practice has evolved in the last decade, giving pharmacists an integral role in medication management
This research was conducted to explore the potential benefits and impact of pharmacy trainees practicing in a supervised collaborative rural primary care setting
In the context of our study, ‘pharmacy trainee’ is defined as: an individual engaging in the period of pre-registration training required under the Pharmacy Act including current university pharmacy students (e.g., PharmD student) or individuals who have already graduated from a university pharmacy level program and are in the process of post-graduate clinical training
Summary
The scope of pharmacy practice has evolved in the last decade, giving pharmacists an integral role in medication management. With significant changes to the role of pharmacists, education provided to pharmacy trainees has undergone restructuring. As of 2020, all 10 pharmacy schools in Canada have adopted the Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD) curriculum, in which pharmacy trainees are required to receive experiential learning in clinical settings in a second-entry undergraduate professional program setting [3]. In Ontario the University of Waterloo requires pharmacy trainees to complete three four-month cooperative work terms (work-based learning experience) and a six-month patient care rotation, while the University of Toronto requires trainees to complete 320 h of practice experiences and a nine-month patient care rotation [4,5]. Four of the residency programs offered in Ontario have an ambulatory care focus [7]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
