Division Pharmacoepidemiology & Clinical Pharmacology Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences (UIPS), Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Science, Utrecht University, the Netherlands.
Center for Education Development and Research in Health Professions, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, the Netherlands.
Res Social Adm Pharm. 2022 Oct;18(10):3814-3820. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2022.04.005. Epub 2022 May 3.
The field of pharmacy will benefit from pharmacy technicians, a higher educated mid-level support workforce. They support pharmacists in providing pharmaceutical patient care through delegated roles and responsibilities. Empirical research on pharmacy technicians within pharmacy practice community and hospital pharmacy practices tends to focus on the practical outcomes of this workforce addition. It mostly addresses the 'WHAT' of service delivered by pharmacy technicians. Literature on the 'HOW' of their role development in practice is scarce. Furthermore, it seems difficult for most pharmacy technicians to effectively fulfil this professional role.
This qualitative study explored factors influencing role development of pharmacy technicians in community and hospital pharmacies.
On site, individual and small-group interviews were conducted with pharmacy technicians (n = 10), and two colleagues: pharmacists (n = 7) and pharmacy assistants (n = 6). Interviews were based on a semi-structured interview guide. Participants were asked to describe specific incidents and organisational, relational and pharmaceutical care perspectives, illustrative of the process of developing and implementing the pharmacy technician role. Template analysis was used to develop a list of codes representing themes identified in the data.
Five interrelated themes influenced development and implementation of the pharmacy technician role. Two of them were at a more contextual level: (a) experiencing a lack of vision on added value of the new role within the field of pharmacy and (b) learning climate. The other three were related to personal interactions between staff members: (c) role expectations and organisational fit, (d) personal traits of pharmacy technicians and (e) support of pharmacy technicians through task delegation and role enhancement.
The data showed that development and implementation of pharmacy technician roles is a complicated process. A detailed plan for addressing and remediating the five identified themes is important to promote role development of pharmacy technicians.
药剂学领域将受益于药剂师技术人员，这是一支受过更高教育的中级支持劳动力。他们通过授权的角色和职责支持药剂师提供药物患者护理。关于药剂师技术人员在社区和医院药房实践中的实证研究往往侧重于这项劳动力增加的实际成果。它主要解决了药剂师技术人员提供的服务的“什么”。关于他们在实践中角色发展的“如何”的文献很少。此外，对于大多数药剂师技术人员来说，似乎很难有效地履行这一专业角色。
本定性研究探讨了影响社区和医院药房药剂师技术人员角色发展的因素。
对药剂师技术人员（n=10）以及两名同事：药剂师（n=7）和药房助理（n=6）进行了现场、个别和小组访谈。访谈基于半结构化访谈指南。要求参与者描述具体事件以及组织、关系和药物护理视角，说明发展和实施药剂师技术人员角色的过程。模板分析用于开发代表数据中确定的主题的代码列表。
有五个相互关联的主题影响了药剂师技术人员角色的发展和实施。其中两个处于更具上下文的层面：（a）在药房领域缺乏对新角色附加值的看法；（b）学习氛围。另外三个与员工之间的个人互动有关：（c）角色期望和组织契合度，（d）药剂师技术人员的个人特质和（e）通过任务委托和角色增强来支持药剂师技术人员。
数据显示，药剂师技术人员角色的发展和实施是一个复杂的过程。解决和补救五个确定主题的详细计划对于促进药剂师技术人员的角色发展很重要。
