School of Pharmacy, University College London, London, UK.
Faculty of Applied Health and Community Studies, Sheridan College Institute of Technology and Advanced Learning, Brampton, Ontario, Canada.
Int J Pharm Pract. 2021 Aug 11;29(4):321-329. doi: 10.1093/ijpp/riab010.
The objective of this study was to investigate multi-stakeholder perceptions of practice-related facilitators to optimising the quality of Regulated Pharmacy Technician (RPT) integration into the community workforce in Ontario. Facilitators to incorporating technicians into the workflow and supporting their optimal scope of practice were explored.
A qualitative exploratory study comprising a series of one-to-one interviews using a piloted, semi-structured interview guide was conducted with four community pharmacy stakeholder groups; pharmacists, RPTs, pharmacy assistants and pharmacy owners. Interviews were conducted until saturation of themes. Verbatim transcripts were coded inductively using the software, NVivo v12 (QSR International) and general inductive analysis identified key findings.
Twenty-seven interviews were conducted consisting of seven pharmacists, seven RPTs, eight assistants and five pharmacy owners working within community pharmacy and/or academia or hospital. All participants from every stakeholder group acknowledged that the promise of regulation of pharmacy technicians was unfulfilled in practice. Three major themes of practical significance were derived: (i) A viable business plan that incorporates RPT remuneration and ensures sustainability is a facilitator to fuller integration of RPTs, (ii) Planning the pharmacy workflow to support RPTs' and pharmacists' evolving scopes is a facilitator to RPT integration and (iii) Schedule planning to incorporate RPTs and appropriate staffing ratios in relation to prescription volume and pharmacy services allows for optimal utilisation of RPT skills and facilitates their integration.
Achieving integration of RPTs into the business of a community pharmacy has educational, workplace and regulatory implications, requiring the effective engagement of all stakeholders in pharmacy.
本研究旨在调查各利益相关者对优化安大略省注册药房技师（RPT）融入社区劳动力相关实践促进因素的看法。本研究探讨了将技术人员纳入工作流程并支持其最佳实践范围的促进因素。
采用试点半结构式访谈指南进行了一项定性探索性研究，涉及四个社区药房利益相关者群体：药剂师、RPT、药房助理和药房所有者。访谈一直持续到主题饱和。使用软件 NVivo v12（QSR International）对逐字记录进行归纳编码，并进行一般归纳分析以确定主要发现。
共进行了 27 次访谈，受访者包括在社区药房和/或学术界或医院工作的 7 名药剂师、7 名 RPT、8 名助理和 5 名药房所有者。每个利益相关者群体的所有参与者都承认，监管药剂师技术人员的承诺在实践中没有实现。得出了三个具有重要实际意义的主题：（i）一个可行的商业计划，其中包括 RPT 的薪酬并确保可持续性，这是充分整合 RPT 的促进因素，（ii）规划药房工作流程以支持 RPT 和药剂师不断发展的范围是 RPT 整合的促进因素，（iii）排班计划，以根据处方量和药房服务整合 RPT 和适当的人员配备比例，从而实现 RPT 技能的最佳利用并促进其整合。
将 RPT 融入社区药房的业务具有教育、工作场所和监管方面的影响，需要所有药房利益相关者的有效参与。
