Experiences of pharmacy staff during the introduction of the checking technician role in New Zealand.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate the experiences of the participants in a study introducing a Pharmacy Accuracy Checking Technician (PACT) role, and specifically their perceptions of any advantages and disadvantages.

METHODS

Self-administered surveys were distributed during the introduction of a checking technician role in eight community and four hospital pharmacy sites. Surveys were conducted at three time points; at baseline, at mid-point and a final data collection. Questions covered staff perceptions on; technicians' ability to take on this role, impact on workflow, impact on pharmacists' time spent with patients and any perceived advantages or disadvantages.

KEY FINDINGS

Three hundred and fifty-five responses were received from participants. There was significant support for the introduction of this new role, and the greatest advantage identified was an increase in time available to pharmacists to increase potential clinical activities. Many staff felt that this role could easily fit into their current workplace and workflow with minor adjustments. There was a perception that this new role would increase safety and decrease errors as a result of the separation of clinical and checking tasks. Respondents identified a need for more technicians; however, conversely concern was expressed of a negative impact on the number of pharmacists' jobs.

CONCLUSIONS

Despite the disruption caused by the training process, the respondents believed this new role to be beneficial to both staff and patients, and that the new model would allow for increased error identification and enhanced safety.