Hussein Rand, Nakhla Nardine, Shim Kyu Min, Goh Joslin, Killeen Rosemary, Grindrod Kelly
School of Pharmacy, 200 University Avenue West Waterloo, ON N2L 3G1, Canada.
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, University of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm. 2025 Mar 7;18:100586. doi: 10.1016/j.rcsop.2025.100586. eCollection 2025 Jun.
Recent regulatory changes in Ontario have enabled pharmacists to perform point-of-care testing (POCT) to manage chronic diseases. With the introduction of any new service(s), educational interventions can aid acceptance and implementation. Computer-based education (CBE) improves pharmacists' knowledge, but there is little evidence of its effect on pharmacist behaviour. This study assessed the impact of CBE on pharmacist knowledge, behaviour intention, and adoption of POCT.
A three-month, web-based, randomized controlled trial was conducted between April 2024 and Sep 2024 with community pharmacists in Ontario, Canada. The intervention group was asked to complete two POCT modules using a CBE platform, while the control group was asked to review reference materials about POCTs. The primary outcome, the difference in the number of POCTs performed, was collected using monthly reports. Secondary outcomes (knowledge gain and changes in the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) constructs: attitude, subjective norm, perceived behavioural control, and behaviour intention) were assessed using selfreported surveys. Generalized linear models (GLM) with negative binomial distribution were used to analyze the number of POCTs. Knowledge gain was analyzed using repeated measure ANOVA and binomial regression. TPB constructs were analyzed within groups using paired sample -tests and between groups using two-sample ttests.
Of the 261 pharmacists recruited, 201 completed the pre-study survey, 135 completed the one-week post-test, and 104 completed the three-month post-test. There was a significant difference in knowledge test scores between the two groups at one week ( = .001) and three months ( < .00). There was no significant difference in behavioural constructs between the two groups at three months. However, attitude increased significantly for both groups (intervention group 3.6 ± 0.6 Vs. 3.95 ± 0.5 < .001; control group 3.5 ± 0.6 Vs. 3.8 ± 0.5 P < .001). There was no significant change in the number of POCTs performed after one, two, and three months for both study groups.
CBE improved pharmacists' knowledge of POCT but showed a limited effect on pharmacist intention or behaviour. The study highlighted that knowledge alone does not influence behaviour change. Factors such as organizational support, adequate reimbursement, and expanded practice scope (e.g., prescribing) are critical to enhance POCT implementation.
安大略省最近的监管变化使药剂师能够进行即时检验（POCT）以管理慢性病。随着任何新服务的推出，教育干预有助于其接受和实施。基于计算机的教育（CBE）可提高药剂师的知识水平，但几乎没有证据表明其对药剂师行为有影响。本研究评估了CBE对药剂师知识、行为意向和采用POCT的影响。
2024年4月至2024年9月，在加拿大安大略省对社区药剂师进行了一项为期三个月的基于网络的随机对照试验。干预组被要求使用CBE平台完成两个POCT模块，而对照组被要求查阅有关POCT的参考资料。主要结果，即所进行的POCT数量的差异，通过月度报告收集。次要结果（知识增益以及计划行为理论（TPB）结构的变化：态度、主观规范、感知行为控制和行为意向）通过自我报告调查进行评估。使用负二项分布的广义线性模型（GLM）分析POCT的数量。知识增益使用重复测量方差分析和二项回归进行分析。TPB结构在组内使用配对样本检验进行分析，在组间使用两样本t检验进行分析。
在招募的261名药剂师中，201名完成了研究前调查，135名完成了一周后测试，104名完成了三个月后测试。两组在一周（P = 0.001）和三个月（P < 0.001）时的知识测试分数存在显著差异。三个月时两组在行为结构上没有显著差异。然而，两组的态度均显著增加（干预组3.6 ± 0.6对3.95 ± 0.
