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Pharmacist supplementary prescribing: a step towards more independence?

Pharmacist supplementary prescribing: a step towards more independence?
Pharmacist supplementary prescribing: a step towards more independence?
Background: supplementary prescribing (SP) is a drug therapy management model implemented in the United Kingdom since 2003. It is a voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber; a supplementary prescriber, for example, nurse or pharmacist; and the patient, to implement an agreed patient-specific clinical management plan (CMP).

Objective: to investigate pharmacist prescribers' views and experiences of the early stages of SP implementation.

Methods: a qualitative, longitudinal study design was used. A purposive, maximum variability sample of 16 pharmacist supplementary prescribers, trained in Southern England, participated. Eleven were hospital pharmacists, owing to the overrepresentation of hospital pharmacists in the first cohort. Two semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant, at 3 and 6 months after their registration as prescribers. The Framework approach was used for data collection, management, and analysis.

Results: three typologies of pharmacists' experiences were identified: “a blind alley”, “a stepping stone” and “a good fit”. Despite some delays in its implementation, SP was seen as a step forward. Some participants also believed that it improved patient care and pharmacists' integration in the health care team and increased their job satisfaction. However, there was a concern that SP, as first implemented, was bureaucratic and limited pharmacists' freedom in their decision making. Hence, pharmacists were more supportive of the then imminent introduction of a pharmacist independent prescribing (IP) role.

Conclusions: despite challenges, the SP role represented a step forward for pharmacists in the United Kingdom. It is possible that pharmacist SP can coexist with IP in the areas suitable for CMP use. Elsewhere, SP is likely to become more of a “stepping stone” to an IP role than the preferred model for pharmacist prescribing. Future research needs to objectively assess the outcomes of pharmacist SP, preferably in comparison with IP, to inform decision making among pharmacists regarding the adoption of such an innovative role
united kingdom, pharmacist, supplementary prescribing, drug therapy management, qualitative, framework analysis
1551-7411
246-256
Dawoud, Dalia
c4a6a9f2-6de8-4353-a349-cdf6aa8be1ea
Griffiths, Peter
ac7afec1-7d72-4b83-b016-3a43e245265b
Maben, Jill
3240b527-420c-498e-9f66-557b96561f40
Goodyer, Larry
f1c4a057-3d46-4e5a-95f5-15bd9b9d04ce
Greene, Russell
cda64530-76bc-443e-b38e-64307a39e1c6
Dawoud, Dalia
c4a6a9f2-6de8-4353-a349-cdf6aa8be1ea
Griffiths, Peter
ac7afec1-7d72-4b83-b016-3a43e245265b
Maben, Jill
3240b527-420c-498e-9f66-557b96561f40
Goodyer, Larry
f1c4a057-3d46-4e5a-95f5-15bd9b9d04ce
Greene, Russell
cda64530-76bc-443e-b38e-64307a39e1c6

Dawoud, Dalia, Griffiths, Peter, Maben, Jill, Goodyer, Larry and Greene, Russell (2011) Pharmacist supplementary prescribing: a step towards more independence? Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy, 7 (3), 246-256. (doi:10.1016/j.sapharm.2010.05.002). (PMID:21272547)

Record type: Article

Abstract

Background: supplementary prescribing (SP) is a drug therapy management model implemented in the United Kingdom since 2003. It is a voluntary partnership between an independent prescriber; a supplementary prescriber, for example, nurse or pharmacist; and the patient, to implement an agreed patient-specific clinical management plan (CMP).

Objective: to investigate pharmacist prescribers' views and experiences of the early stages of SP implementation.

Methods: a qualitative, longitudinal study design was used. A purposive, maximum variability sample of 16 pharmacist supplementary prescribers, trained in Southern England, participated. Eleven were hospital pharmacists, owing to the overrepresentation of hospital pharmacists in the first cohort. Two semistructured interviews were conducted with each participant, at 3 and 6 months after their registration as prescribers. The Framework approach was used for data collection, management, and analysis.

Results: three typologies of pharmacists' experiences were identified: “a blind alley”, “a stepping stone” and “a good fit”. Despite some delays in its implementation, SP was seen as a step forward. Some participants also believed that it improved patient care and pharmacists' integration in the health care team and increased their job satisfaction. However, there was a concern that SP, as first implemented, was bureaucratic and limited pharmacists' freedom in their decision making. Hence, pharmacists were more supportive of the then imminent introduction of a pharmacist independent prescribing (IP) role.

Conclusions: despite challenges, the SP role represented a step forward for pharmacists in the United Kingdom. It is possible that pharmacist SP can coexist with IP in the areas suitable for CMP use. Elsewhere, SP is likely to become more of a “stepping stone” to an IP role than the preferred model for pharmacist prescribing. Future research needs to objectively assess the outcomes of pharmacist SP, preferably in comparison with IP, to inform decision making among pharmacists regarding the adoption of such an innovative role

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More information

e-pub ahead of print date: 23 July 2010
Published date: September 2011
Keywords: united kingdom, pharmacist, supplementary prescribing, drug therapy management, qualitative, framework analysis

Identifiers

Local EPrints ID: 167313
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/167313
ISSN: 1551-7411
PURE UUID: 910fd310-2df8-4766-af6f-f137f4e7d776
ORCID for Peter Griffiths: ORCID iD orcid.org/0000-0003-2439-2857

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Date deposited: 11 Nov 2010 11:23
Last modified: 14 Mar 2024 02:56

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Contributors

Author: Dalia Dawoud
Author: Peter Griffiths ORCID iD
Author: Jill Maben
Author: Larry Goodyer
Author: Russell Greene

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