Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic
Objective The new structured medication review (SMR) service was introduced into the National Health Service in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a major expansion of clinical pharmacists within new formations known as primary care networks (PCNs). The aim of the SMR is to tackle probl...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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BMJ Publishing Group
2023-04-01
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| Series: | BMJ Open |
| Online Access: | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e069017.full |
| _version_ | 1797670883857268736 |
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| author | Jim McCambridge Duncan Stewart Thomas Mills Mary Madden |
| author_facet | Jim McCambridge Duncan Stewart Thomas Mills Mary Madden |
| author_sort | Jim McCambridge |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Objective The new structured medication review (SMR) service was introduced into the National Health Service in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a major expansion of clinical pharmacists within new formations known as primary care networks (PCNs). The aim of the SMR is to tackle problematic polypharmacy through comprehensive, personalised medication reviews involving shared decision-making. Investigation of clinical pharmacists’ perceptions of training needs and skills acquisition issues for person-centred consultation practice will help better understand their readiness for these new roles.Design A longitudinal interview and observational study in general practice.Setting and participants A longitudinal study of 10 newly recruited clinical pharmacists interviewed three times, plus a single interview with 10 pharmacists recruited earlier and already established in general practice, across 20 newly forming PCNs in England. Observation of a compulsory 2-day history taking and consultation skills workshop.Analysis A modified framework method supported a constructionist thematic analysis.Results Remote working during the pandemic limited opportunities for patient-facing contact. Pharmacists new to their role in general practice were predominantly concerned with improving clinical knowledge and competence. Most said they already practiced person-centred care, using this terminology to describe transactional medicines-focused practice. Pharmacists rarely received direct feedback on consultation practice to calibrate perceptions of their own competence in person-centred communication, including shared decision-making skills. Training thus provided knowledge delivery with limited opportunities for actual skills acquisition. Pharmacists had difficulty translating abstract consultation principles into specific consultation practices.Conclusion SMRs were introduced when the dedicated workforce was largely new and being trained. Addressing problematic polypharmacy requires structural and organisational interventions to enhance the communication skills of clinical pharmacists (and other health professionals), and their use in practice. The development of person-centred consultation skills requires much more substantial support than has so far been provided for clinical pharmacists. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:07:16Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-d09c67bae5bf46c39dcde6fc09b0fdae |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2044-6055 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-11T21:07:16Z |
| publishDate | 2023-04-01 |
| publisher | BMJ Publishing Group |
| record_format | Article |
| series | BMJ Open |
| spelling | doaj.art-d09c67bae5bf46c39dcde6fc09b0fdae2023-09-29T12:35:07ZengBMJ Publishing GroupBMJ Open2044-60552023-04-0113410.1136/bmjopen-2022-069017Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemicJim McCambridge0Duncan Stewart1Thomas Mills2Mary Madden3Department of Health Sciences, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, UKCentre for Primary Health and Social Care, London Metropolitan University, London, UKDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, UKDepartment of Health Sciences, University of York, York, North Yorkshire, UKObjective The new structured medication review (SMR) service was introduced into the National Health Service in England during the COVID-19 pandemic, following a major expansion of clinical pharmacists within new formations known as primary care networks (PCNs). The aim of the SMR is to tackle problematic polypharmacy through comprehensive, personalised medication reviews involving shared decision-making. Investigation of clinical pharmacists’ perceptions of training needs and skills acquisition issues for person-centred consultation practice will help better understand their readiness for these new roles.Design A longitudinal interview and observational study in general practice.Setting and participants A longitudinal study of 10 newly recruited clinical pharmacists interviewed three times, plus a single interview with 10 pharmacists recruited earlier and already established in general practice, across 20 newly forming PCNs in England. Observation of a compulsory 2-day history taking and consultation skills workshop.Analysis A modified framework method supported a constructionist thematic analysis.Results Remote working during the pandemic limited opportunities for patient-facing contact. Pharmacists new to their role in general practice were predominantly concerned with improving clinical knowledge and competence. Most said they already practiced person-centred care, using this terminology to describe transactional medicines-focused practice. Pharmacists rarely received direct feedback on consultation practice to calibrate perceptions of their own competence in person-centred communication, including shared decision-making skills. Training thus provided knowledge delivery with limited opportunities for actual skills acquisition. Pharmacists had difficulty translating abstract consultation principles into specific consultation practices.Conclusion SMRs were introduced when the dedicated workforce was largely new and being trained. Addressing problematic polypharmacy requires structural and organisational interventions to enhance the communication skills of clinical pharmacists (and other health professionals), and their use in practice. The development of person-centred consultation skills requires much more substantial support than has so far been provided for clinical pharmacists.https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e069017.full |
| spellingShingle | Jim McCambridge Duncan Stewart Thomas Mills Mary Madden Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic BMJ Open |
| title | Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full | Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_fullStr | Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_full_unstemmed | Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_short | Consultation skills development in general practice: findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the COVID-19 pandemic |
| title_sort | consultation skills development in general practice findings from a qualitative study of newly recruited and more experienced clinical pharmacists during the covid 19 pandemic |
| url | https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/13/4/e069017.full |
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