The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy
The pharmacy counter is a good place to identify and discuss medication-related problems. However, there is a lack of practical communication tools to support pharmacy technicians (PTs) in initiating a conversation with patients. This study aimed to develop and test a practical set of questions for...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2020-09-01
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| Series: | Pharmacy |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/8/4/178 |
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| author | Marcia Vervloet Hanneke E. Zwikker Annemiek J. Linn Ellen S. Koster Suzan G. H. Gipmans Maaike C. W. van Aarle Liset van Dijk |
| author_facet | Marcia Vervloet Hanneke E. Zwikker Annemiek J. Linn Ellen S. Koster Suzan G. H. Gipmans Maaike C. W. van Aarle Liset van Dijk |
| author_sort | Marcia Vervloet |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | The pharmacy counter is a good place to identify and discuss medication-related problems. However, there is a lack of practical communication tools to support pharmacy technicians (PTs) in initiating a conversation with patients. This study aimed to develop and test a practical set of questions for PTs, called TRIAGE, to identify problems during encounters. TRIAGE was developed based on insight from the literature, focus groups with PTs and pharmacists, and input from patients and experts. In 10 community pharmacies, 17 PTs used TRIAGE during encounters with patients who collected their cardiovascular medication. For each encounter, PTs registered the identified problems and suggested solutions. A total of 105 TRIAGE conversations were held, 66 for first refill and 39 for follow-up refill prescriptions. In 15 (23%) first refill prescription encounters, a problem was identified. These problems concerned forgetting to take the medication, a complex medication regime or (fear of) side effects. In three (8%) follow-up refill prescription encounters, a problem was identified. Most of the problems were solved on the spot. Pharmacy technicians indicated that they identified medication-related problems with TRIAGE that otherwise would be left unnoticed. They appreciated TRIAGE as a useful instrument for starting the conversation with patients about medication use. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:00:30Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29ae894caa85451b82abf287b2710561 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2226-4787 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-10T16:00:30Z |
| publishDate | 2020-09-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Pharmacy |
| spelling | doaj.art-29ae894caa85451b82abf287b27105612023-11-20T15:15:42ZengMDPI AGPharmacy2226-47872020-09-018417810.3390/pharmacy8040178The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community PharmacyMarcia Vervloet0Hanneke E. Zwikker1Annemiek J. Linn2Ellen S. Koster3Suzan G. H. Gipmans4Maaike C. W. van Aarle5Liset van Dijk6Nivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, 3500 BN Utrecht, The NetherlandsDutch Institute for Rational Use of Medicines, 3502 GB Utrecht, The NetherlandsAmsterdam School of Communication Research (ASCoR), University of Amsterdam, 1001 NG Amsterdam, The NetherlandsUtrecht Pharmacy Practice Network for Education and Research (UPPER), Utrecht University, 3584 CG Utrecht, The NetherlandsBENU Netherlands B.V., 3604 BB Maarssen, The NetherlandsBENU Netherlands B.V., 3604 BB Maarssen, The NetherlandsNivel, Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research, 3500 BN Utrecht, The NetherlandsThe pharmacy counter is a good place to identify and discuss medication-related problems. However, there is a lack of practical communication tools to support pharmacy technicians (PTs) in initiating a conversation with patients. This study aimed to develop and test a practical set of questions for PTs, called TRIAGE, to identify problems during encounters. TRIAGE was developed based on insight from the literature, focus groups with PTs and pharmacists, and input from patients and experts. In 10 community pharmacies, 17 PTs used TRIAGE during encounters with patients who collected their cardiovascular medication. For each encounter, PTs registered the identified problems and suggested solutions. A total of 105 TRIAGE conversations were held, 66 for first refill and 39 for follow-up refill prescriptions. In 15 (23%) first refill prescription encounters, a problem was identified. These problems concerned forgetting to take the medication, a complex medication regime or (fear of) side effects. In three (8%) follow-up refill prescription encounters, a problem was identified. Most of the problems were solved on the spot. Pharmacy technicians indicated that they identified medication-related problems with TRIAGE that otherwise would be left unnoticed. They appreciated TRIAGE as a useful instrument for starting the conversation with patients about medication use.https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/8/4/178clinical pharmacycommunity pharmacypharmaceutical carepatient-centered communicationpatient-provider communicationmedication experiences |
| spellingShingle | Marcia Vervloet Hanneke E. Zwikker Annemiek J. Linn Ellen S. Koster Suzan G. H. Gipmans Maaike C. W. van Aarle Liset van Dijk The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy Pharmacy clinical pharmacy community pharmacy pharmaceutical care patient-centered communication patient-provider communication medication experiences |
| title | The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy |
| title_full | The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy |
| title_fullStr | The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy |
| title_full_unstemmed | The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy |
| title_short | The Development and Proof of Principle Test of TRIAGE: A Practical Question Set to Identify and Discuss Medication-Related Problems in Community Pharmacy |
| title_sort | development and proof of principle test of triage a practical question set to identify and discuss medication related problems in community pharmacy |
| topic | clinical pharmacy community pharmacy pharmaceutical care patient-centered communication patient-provider communication medication experiences |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2226-4787/8/4/178 |
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