J Am Pharm Assoc (2003). 2021 Jul-Aug;61(4):e255-e262. doi: 10.1016/j.japh.2021.01.039. Epub 2021 Feb 26.
The 2017 Food and Drug Administration Reauthorization Act established a new category of hearing aids to be available over the counter to increase accessibility and affordability of hearing aid devices. To prepare for increased consumer demand, pharmacists must be ready to meet the needs of the millions of adults eligible to seek over-the-counter hearing aids at the community pharmacy. To date, no organization has proposed competency statements to describe a pharmacist with the knowledge, skills, and abilities aligning with safe and effective use of over-the-counter hearing aids to be sold at community pharmacies.
The objective of this study was to establish competencies needed for pharmacists to safely and effectively assist patients seeking over-the-counter hearing aids at the community pharmacy.
The Delphi technique was selected to achieve group consensus for competency statements. The project began with a kickoff meeting in July 2019 and continued with a brainstorming round followed by 3 rounds of surveys ending in March 2020. Each survey presented competency statements for panelists to review, rate their agreement, and offer revisions. Statements that reached consensus to accept (≥80% agreement) were advanced to the final list. Statements that did not reach consensus were advanced to subsequent survey rounds.
A total of 14 individuals representing pharmacy, audiology, hearing aid manufacturers, and persons with hearing loss participated. In total, 26 competency statements were accepted by consensus, 2 statements were rejected by consensus, and 11 statements did not reach consensus. All 26 accepted statements were mapped to the Pharmacists' Patient Care Process before final approval by the stakeholder panel.
Pharmacists will likely play new interprofessional roles in the delivery of hearing health care as over-the-counter hearing aids come to market. With professional competency statements, pharmacists will have a framework for the knowledge, skills, and abilities needed to safely assist patients seeking over-the-counter hearing aids at the community pharmacy.
2017 年《食品和药物管理局再授权法案》设立了一个新的助听器类别，可在柜台购买，以提高助听器设备的可及性和负担能力。为了满足消费者需求的增加，药剂师必须准备好满足数以百万计有资格在社区药店寻求非处方助听器的成年人的需求。迄今为止，还没有任何组织提出能力陈述来描述一名药剂师，该药剂师具备与在社区药店销售的非处方助听器的安全有效使用相一致的知识、技能和能力。
本研究的目的是确定药剂师在社区药店安全有效地协助寻求非处方助听器的患者所需的能力。
选择德尔菲技术来达成能力陈述的小组共识。该项目于 2019 年 7 月开始，随后进行了头脑风暴会议，接着进行了 3 轮调查，于 2020 年 3 月结束。每轮调查都向小组成员提供了需要审查、评价其一致性并提出修订的能力陈述。达成接受（≥80%的一致性）共识的陈述被推进到最终名单。未达成共识的陈述被推进到后续调查轮次。
共有 14 名代表来自药房、听力学、助听器制造商和听力损失人士的个人参与了此次研究。共有 26 项能力陈述达成共识被接受，2 项被共识否决，11 项未达成共识。所有 26 项被接受的陈述都在最终获得利益相关者小组批准之前被映射到药剂师的患者护理过程中。
随着非处方助听器进入市场，药剂师可能会在提供听力保健方面扮演新的跨专业角色。有了专业的能力陈述，药剂师将有一个框架来了解、掌握和运用在社区药店安全协助寻求非处方助听器的患者所需的知识、技能和能力。
