Arden R Barry1, Greg Egan2, Ricky D Turgeon3, Marianna Leung4. 1. , BSc, BSc(Pharm), PharmD, ACPR, is with Chilliwack General Hospital, Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services, Chilliwack, British Columbia, and the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, The University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia. 2. , BSc(Pharm), PharmD, ACPR, is with Vancouver General Hospital, Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services, Vancouver, British Columbia. 3. , BSc(Pharm), PharmD, ACPR, was, at the time of writing, with the Division of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta. He is now with Vancouver General Hospital, Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services, Vancouver, British Columbia. 4. , BSc(Pharm), PharmD, BCPS, FCSHP, is with St Paul's Hospital, Lower Mainland Pharmacy Services, Vancouver, British Columbia.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Pharmacists are now seeking to incorporate physical assessment (PA) into their practices. This trend prompted the creation, by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, of a 30-h course specifically designed for practising pharmacists. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pharmacists' knowledge, skills, and confidence in performing PA after completing the course. METHODS: All course participants were invited to complete 2 anonymous online surveys, immediately and 6 months after course completion. RESULTS: Of the 218 participants, 82 (38%) responded to the survey administered immediately after the course, and 77 (35%) completed this survey in full. About half of the respondents (39/79 [49%]) reported use of PA on a real patient before taking the course. Lack of formal training and lack of comfort were the most frequently selected barriers to performing PA. All respondents (79/79) agreed that the course had improved their knowledge of PA, 96% (76/79) agreed that it had improved their skills, and 90% (71/79) agreed that it had improved their ability to care for patients. In addition, 61% (48/79) and 67% (53/79), respectively, agreed that they felt confident performing PA and intervening with regard to a patient's drug therapy on the basis of physical findings. Thirty-eight (17%) of the course participants completed the 6-month follow-up survey. In that survey, the most frequently selected barrier to performing PA was lack of time. Paired data, available for 23 respondents, showed a significant increase in use of PA on real patients over time (p = 0.013 by χ2 test). However, there was no significant improvement in confidence in performing PA or intervening on a patient's drug therapy on the basis of physical findings (p > 0.05 by 2-sided t test). The primary limitation of this study was potential responder bias. CONCLUSIONS: A PA course designed for pharmacists improved participants' self-reported knowledge and skills, as well as self-perceived ability to care for patients. Six months after the course, two-thirds of respondents had used PA in practice. However, there was no improvement in confidence in performing such assessments or using the findings to intervene on a patient's drug therapy.
BACKGROUND: Pharmacists are now seeking to incorporate physical assessment (PA) into their practices. This trend prompted the creation, by the British Columbia Branch of the Canadian Society of Hospital Pharmacists, of a 30-h course specifically designed for practising pharmacists. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pharmacists' knowledge, skills, and confidence in performing PA after completing the course. METHODS: All course participants were invited to complete 2 anonymous online surveys, immediately and 6 months after course completion. RESULTS: Of the 218 participants, 82 (38%) responded to the survey administered immediately after the course, and 77 (35%) completed this survey in full. About half of the respondents (39/79 [49%]) reported use of PA on a real patient before taking the course. Lack of formal training and lack of comfort were the most frequently selected barriers to performing PA. All respondents (79/79) agreed that the course had improved their knowledge of PA, 96% (76/79) agreed that it had improved their skills, and 90% (71/79) agreed that it had improved their ability to care for patients. In addition, 61% (48/79) and 67% (53/79), respectively, agreed that they felt confident performing PA and intervening with regard to a patient's drug therapy on the basis of physical findings. Thirty-eight (17%) of the course participants completed the 6-month follow-up survey. In that survey, the most frequently selected barrier to performing PA was lack of time. Paired data, available for 23 respondents, showed a significant increase in use of PA on real patients over time (p = 0.013 by χ2 test). However, there was no significant improvement in confidence in performing PA or intervening on a patient's drug therapy on the basis of physical findings (p > 0.05 by 2-sided t test). The primary limitation of this study was potential responder bias. CONCLUSIONS: A PA course designed for pharmacists improved participants' self-reported knowledge and skills, as well as self-perceived ability to care for patients. Six months after the course, two-thirds of respondents had used PA in practice. However, there was no improvement in confidence in performing such assessments or using the findings to intervene on a patient's drug therapy.
Entities:
Keywords:
pharmacists; physical examination; surveys and questionnaires
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