Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy
Research BriefCan pharmacy assistants play a greater role in public health programs in community pharmacies? Lessons from a chlamydia screening study in Canberra, Australia
Introduction
Factors such as location, convenience, anonymity, extended opening hours and immediate access to a qualified health professional contribute to the increasing role community pharmacies are playing in public health.1, 2, 3, 4 Growth in this area is constrained because service delivery usually relies on the availability of pharmacists.5, 6, 7 Expanding the role of paraprofessional staff to deliver public health services offers one solution.8, 9 Pharmacy assistants (PA) are staff trained to appropriately sell pharmacy medicines, some are technicians or dispensers. PA are the ‘public face’ of community pharmacy. They are ideally placed to fulfill this role as they constitute the majority of the pharmacy workforce, are generally the initial contact for consumers and conduct the majority of health triage interactions, but not all PA feel adequately trained to expand their role.10
Studies show that pharmacy staff can provide public health services such as smoking cessation,6 weight management,11 sexual health,12 and drug use,13, 14 but few studies have determined PA attitudes toward this development.15 One New Zealand study found not all staff wish to expand their current roles,16 while in England, counter staff in 10 community pharmacies were receptive to providing public health advice.17 During a study designed to determine if a AUD10 cash reward increased participation of males and females in chlamydia screening in community pharmacies, we explored the experiences of the PA involved.
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Methods
This mixed methods study was approved by research ethics committees of the Australian Capital Territory Government Health Directorate, the University of Canberra and the Australian National University. Pharmacists and PA were asked to offer chlamydia screening to people aged 16–30 years attending their pharmacy for any reason. Participants who returned a urine sample were rewarded with AUD10. The study was advertised through radio, television and print media. The uptake of screening, and the
Results
Thirty-six PA from six pharmacies enrolled to take part in the study. Of these, 20 (55%) completed all components of the education and training package and the post study questionnaire; 10 attended a focus group (Table 2). PA enrolled the majority of young people into the study. Most (95%) PA completing the questionnaire were female; 50% were aged 16–30 years.
All 20 PA scored >80% in the knowledge assessment. The questionnaire mean sufficiency scores regarding manual 1 (chlamydia), manual 2
Discussion
PA played a significant role in this sexual health study. We suggest that to maximize their effectiveness in public health roles, attention must be paid to: identifying and meeting education and training needs, exploring PA attitudes toward the target population/s and the public health issue being addressed, exploring options for appropriate remuneration and including PA at every stage of the change processes required to expand their role.
Staff education and training contribute to the delivery
Conclusion
PA experiences in this study support the assertion that this workforce can play a significant role in delivering public health services. PAs were satisfied with their education and training and were receptive to expanding their public health role. They rapidly recruited a large number of young people of both sexes to be screened for chlamydia, but expressed some concerns. Implementation of strategies to minimize the number of repeat testers, better manage the pharmacy workload and promote and
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Educational needs of community pharmacy staff in minor ailment service delivery: A systematic scoping review
2020, Currents in Pharmacy Teaching and LearningCitation Excerpt :As community pharmacists continue to deliver a range of professional clinical pharmacy services, appropriate training, education, and assessment processes need to support this occupational change.1,29 Further exploration of these concepts is warranted as MASs continue to expand internationally and is applicable to all community pharmacy staff as they are often involved in initial patient contact, identification, and assessment of minor ailments and selection and sale of non-prescription medicines associated with minor ailment care.15,31 Whilst structured MASs only exist in the UK and Canada at present, this review highlights the importance of service training for community pharmacy staff to deliver community pharmacy services, despite their existing knowledge and understanding of clinical skills.
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