The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study
Background: Reliable and evidence-based medicines information (MI) is critical for patient care. To guarantee this, in many countries, there are medicines information centers (MICs) which offer medicines information services (MISs). While there are no MICs in Finland, pharmacists in all five univers...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Elsevier
2022-06-01
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| Series: | Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276622000397 |
| _version_ | 1811288112073015296 |
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| author | Katja Uljas Katri Hämeen-Anttila Elina Honkoila Raisa Laaksonen |
| author_facet | Katja Uljas Katri Hämeen-Anttila Elina Honkoila Raisa Laaksonen |
| author_sort | Katja Uljas |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Background: Reliable and evidence-based medicines information (MI) is critical for patient care. To guarantee this, in many countries, there are medicines information centers (MICs) which offer medicines information services (MISs). While there are no MICs in Finland, pharmacists in all five university hospital pharmacies provide MISs. A proposal for establishing five MICs has been made by the National Medicines Information Network. Objectives: The aim was to explore the current MISs and the perceptions of current and potential MI service providers of the need for the proposed national MICs. Barriers and facilitators for potential transition from the current MISs provided by the university hospital pharmacies to establishing national MICs, were examined. Methods: This sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted nationally during September 2019–April 2020 as an online survey and semi-structured individual, pair and group theme interviews with hospital representatives. The survey questionnaire was sent to chief pharmacists and MI pharmacists in all five Finnish university hospital pharmacies (n = 5, census). The interviews (n = 13) were carried out with chief pharmacists, MI pharmacists, medication safety officers (pharmacists), chairs of the Medicines Advisory Board (physicians) and clinical pharmacologists (physicians) (participants n = 19). The data was analyzed using descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative content analysis. Results: All invited representatives participated in the study. Offered MISs are quite similar but the human resources vary among the organizations. Answering MI questions was one of the core MISs. Most representatives considered a proposal of establishing five MICs to Finland positively. The expected benefits were related to achieving an official status to enhance MI, establishing the MICs within the university hospitals and close to where the MISs are needed, and fostering multiprofessional collaboration and collaboration between the MICs. Limited financial and human resources were seen the most critical challenges. Conclusion: The existing expertise of the pharmacists and the similarities in MISs provided by the university hospital pharmacies seem to provide a good basis and preconditions for expanding MI operations and forming MICs at the national level. By pooling current limited resources, synergies could be achieved and MISs, and potentially MICs developed. The establishment of MICs may enhance utilization of networking and multiprofessional collaboration in producing MISs at the national level. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:31:24Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-29ca86b07b4f42058632982c7527a162 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2667-2766 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-13T03:31:24Z |
| publishDate | 2022-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy |
| spelling | doaj.art-29ca86b07b4f42058632982c7527a1622022-12-22T03:04:28ZengElsevierExploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy2667-27662022-06-016100140The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods studyKatja Uljas0Katri Hämeen-Anttila1Elina Honkoila2Raisa Laaksonen3Tampere University Hospital, Hospital Pharmacy, Finland; Corresponding author at: Tampere University Hospital, P.O. Box 2000, FI-33521 Tampere, Finland.Finnish Medicines Agency (Fimea), Research and Development, FinlandHelsinki University Hospital, Hospital Pharmacy, FinlandUniversity of Helsinki, Faculty of Pharmacy, Division of Pharmacology and Pharmacotherapy, FinlandBackground: Reliable and evidence-based medicines information (MI) is critical for patient care. To guarantee this, in many countries, there are medicines information centers (MICs) which offer medicines information services (MISs). While there are no MICs in Finland, pharmacists in all five university hospital pharmacies provide MISs. A proposal for establishing five MICs has been made by the National Medicines Information Network. Objectives: The aim was to explore the current MISs and the perceptions of current and potential MI service providers of the need for the proposed national MICs. Barriers and facilitators for potential transition from the current MISs provided by the university hospital pharmacies to establishing national MICs, were examined. Methods: This sequential explanatory mixed methods study was conducted nationally during September 2019–April 2020 as an online survey and semi-structured individual, pair and group theme interviews with hospital representatives. The survey questionnaire was sent to chief pharmacists and MI pharmacists in all five Finnish university hospital pharmacies (n = 5, census). The interviews (n = 13) were carried out with chief pharmacists, MI pharmacists, medication safety officers (pharmacists), chairs of the Medicines Advisory Board (physicians) and clinical pharmacologists (physicians) (participants n = 19). The data was analyzed using descriptive quantitative analysis and qualitative content analysis. Results: All invited representatives participated in the study. Offered MISs are quite similar but the human resources vary among the organizations. Answering MI questions was one of the core MISs. Most representatives considered a proposal of establishing five MICs to Finland positively. The expected benefits were related to achieving an official status to enhance MI, establishing the MICs within the university hospitals and close to where the MISs are needed, and fostering multiprofessional collaboration and collaboration between the MICs. Limited financial and human resources were seen the most critical challenges. Conclusion: The existing expertise of the pharmacists and the similarities in MISs provided by the university hospital pharmacies seem to provide a good basis and preconditions for expanding MI operations and forming MICs at the national level. By pooling current limited resources, synergies could be achieved and MISs, and potentially MICs developed. The establishment of MICs may enhance utilization of networking and multiprofessional collaboration in producing MISs at the national level.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276622000397InterviewMedicines information centerMedicines information servicesMultiprofessional collaborationNetworkSurvey |
| spellingShingle | Katja Uljas Katri Hämeen-Anttila Elina Honkoila Raisa Laaksonen The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study Exploratory Research in Clinical and Social Pharmacy Interview Medicines information center Medicines information services Multiprofessional collaboration Network Survey |
| title | The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study |
| title_full | The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study |
| title_fullStr | The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study |
| title_full_unstemmed | The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study |
| title_short | The perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies: A mixed methods study |
| title_sort | perceived development needs for medicines information services in university hospital pharmacies a mixed methods study |
| topic | Interview Medicines information center Medicines information services Multiprofessional collaboration Network Survey |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2667276622000397 |
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