Skip navigation Next »

Authors: Benrimoj S.I.¹; Langford J.H.²; Berry G.³; Collins D.⁴; Lauchlan R.⁵; Stewart K.⁶; Ward P.R.²

Source: International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, Volume 11, Number 2, 1 June 2003 , pp. 71-80(10)

Abstract:

Objectives To quantify the rate of clinical interventions by community pharmacists, and to determine the effect of providing targeted education and/or fee-for-service professional remuneration on the rate of clinical interventions. Methods A randomised trial involving four groups of 10 community pharmacies: group A served as a control and received neither education nor remuneration; group B received education and professional remuneration; group C received ''advanced'' education and professional remuneration; and group D received professional remuneration with no education. Pharmacists in all groups documented interventions for three one-week periods. Types of intervention were pre-specified by the researchers and logged as such by the pharmacists. Interventions were categorised as ''reactive'' or ''proactive'' by a panel comprising a community pharmacist and a hospital pharmacist. Logistic regression analysis was used to compare differences in intervention rates between the groups at baseline, between groups over time (six weeks), and within groups over time. Results 87,130 prescription items were dispensed in the study period, and there were 762 clinical interventions, an intervention rate of 0.87%. Of the total, 375 (0.43%) were proactive and 387 (0.44%) were reactive. Groups B and C showed increases in clinical intervention rates immediately after the educational intervention, but these rates then decreased between week 1 and 2. Over the study period, group D had statistically significant reductions in intervention rates from baseline (total, reactive and proactive), and group A showed statistically significant reductions in reactive intervention rates. Conclusions The results from this study show that providing remuneration alone or maintaining the status quo (ie, neither remuneration nor education) did not lead to an increase in clinical interventions in community pharmacies. Increases in rates within the groups receiving education and remuneration were short lived. Developing and implementing educational programmes in addition to fee-for-service remuneration packages may have a positive impact on clinical intervention rates. Longitudinal work is required to investigate the sustainable effects of longer-term education strategies on clinical interventions in community pharmacy.

Document Type: Research article

DOI: 10.1211/0022357021215

Affiliations: 1: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia 2: Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Sydney 3: Department of Public Health, University of Sydney 4: Department of Pharmacy, University of Queensland 5: Medical Benefits Fund of Australia, Sydney 6: Victorian College of Pharmacy, Monash University

User name

 

Password

 

 

Remember me

 

 

 

• forgotten your password?
• Sign in via Athens