scholarly journals The Community Pharmacy Technician’s Role in the Changing Pharmacy Practice Space

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 11
Author(s):  
Brooke Taylor ◽  
Bella Mehta
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Medication Therapy ◽  
Medication Information ◽  
Article Type ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments

Purpose: The practice of pharmacy and role of pharmacists has evolved over the decades but markedly since the introduction of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) in 2010. The ACA allowed patients to have increased access to community pharmacy services, such as medication therapy management, leading to an increase in the clinical services provided by pharmacists. This expansion of pharmacist’s roles has led to pharmacists to feel an increase in workload which negatively impacts the time spent with patients. One way for this shift to occur without continuing to increase the pharmacist’s workload is by using technicians as pharmacist extenders to take on more technical tasks. Summary: The role of pharmacy technicians has been slow to expand from fear of public safety due to the lack of required education and training. Today, state requirements to practice as a pharmacy technician have become stricter with state requiring licensing, registration or certification. This increase in requirements as led to the expansion of pharmacy technician duties. Studies show that pharmacy technicians are able to perform technician accuracy checking, provide immunization and perform Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived screenings. In addition to these duties, pharmacy technicians are being utilized in more novel ways such as collecting medication information in primary care and telepharmacy settings. Conclusion: In order for pharmacy to continue to grow as a profession, pharmacists need to use pharmacy technicians as extenders. As pharmacy technicians begin to take on more of the technical duties, pharmacists are able to increase the time spent with patients.   Article Type: Commentary

scholarly journals Time and Motion Study of Influenza Diagnostic Testing in a Community Pharmacy

2014 ◽  
Vol 5 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Donald Klepser ◽  
Allison Dering-Anderson ◽  
Jacqueline Morse ◽  
Michael Klepser ◽  
Stephanie Klepser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Vital Signs ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Time And Motion Study ◽  
Time And Motion ◽  
Motion Study ◽  
Time Required

Background: It has been shown that use of rapid diagnostic tests (RDTs) is able to reduce costs and improve the prescribing practice of antivirals (i.e. oseltamivir) among patients with influenza-like illnesses (ILIs). Using existing Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment (CLIA)-waived RDTs and collaborative practice agreements, similar to those used to allow pharmacists to administer vaccines, it is possible for patients to seek point-of-care treatment for influenza or flu-like symptoms at a local pharmacy. Following a review of the patient's symptoms by a trained pharmacist, the qualified patient is offered an RDT to determine if the influenza virus is the cause of the symptoms. Based on the results of the RDT, the patient is provided with the appropriate treatment as defined by an approved practice agreement. Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of incorporating an RDT for influenza into community pharmacy practice. Methods: This time and motion study was conducted at three community pharmacy locations, and a total of eight simulated patient visits were completed utilizing a standardized patient. In addition to determining a total time of the encounter, each simulation was divided into nine timed sub-categories. For data analysis, the time spent in each of the nine sub-categories was assigned to the pharmacist, pharmacy technician, or patient. Time and motion methodologies were used to estimate the total time required to provide the RDT service, to determine the amount of active time required of the pharmacist and pharmacy technician, and to evaluate the ability of the staff to provide the service within its existing workflow. Results: The average total time to complete the entire patient encounter for an influenza assessment utilizing an RDT was 35.5 minutes (± 3.1 minutes). On average, the pharmacist spent 9.4 minutes (± 3 minutes) per encounter or about 26.5% of the entire encounter. When the pharmacy technician collected the vital signs, the pharmacist-required time was reduced to 4.95 minutes (± 2.7 minutes), which was about a 48% reduction. Conclusions: The results indicate that an RDT program for influenza assessment required no more than a modest amount of pharmacist time and could be successfully incorporated into regular workflow with little to no disruption of other activities. As such, this approach to influenza management may be a feasible service for community pharmacies to offer patients. This was especially true if the pharmacy had well-trained technicians on staff that could support the service with collection of patient histories and vital signs.   Type: Original Research

scholarly journals Pharmacy Technicians’ Willingness to Perform Emerging Tasks in Community Practice

Pharmacy ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (4) ◽  
pp. 113 ◽  
Author(s):  
William Doucette ◽  
Jon Schommer
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Online Survey ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Full Time ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Factors Affecting ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Stress At Work ◽  
Finger Stick

New tasks are being developed for pharmacy technicians in community practice. The objectives of this study were to (1) assess the willingness of community pharmacy technicians to perform new tasks, and (2) to identify factors affecting technicians in assuming new tasks in community pharmacy practice. An online survey asked about the respondent characteristics, involvement in pharmacy technician tasks, willingness to perform emerging pharmacy technician tasks, and influences on pharmacy technicians’ performance of emerging tasks. Descriptive statistics were calculated for all items. A total of 639 usable surveys from community pharmacy technicians were used in the analyses. The respondents reported a mean of 11.5 years working as a pharmacy technician, with 79.2% working full time. Technicians reported high willingness to perform four emerging tasks, moderate willingness for six tasks, and low willingness to perform two tasks. The low willingness tasks were administering a vaccination and drawing a blood sample with a finger stick. Four workplace influences on willingness to perform emerging tasks were insufficient staffing, insufficient time to complete additional tasks, employers not classifying technicians based on specialized skills, and usually feeling stress at work. It appears likely that pharmacy technicians will be willing to perform the new tasks needed to support the emerging patient care services in community pharmacies.

Point-of-Care Testing in Community Pharmacies: Keys to Success From Pennsylvania Pharmacists

2017 ◽  
Vol 31 (6) ◽  
pp. 629-635 ◽  
Author(s):  
Emily A. Steltenpohl ◽  
Brandon K. Barry ◽  
Kim C. Coley ◽  
Melissa S. McGivney ◽  
Julie L. Olenak ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Clinical Laboratory ◽  
Point Of Care ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Community Pharmacists ◽  
Improve Patient Satisfaction ◽  
State Regulations ◽  
Community Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments ◽  
Improve Patient

Background Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA)-waived tests allow for quick, accurate, and noninvasive laboratory testing. Community pharmacists utilize CLIA-waived tests to provide clinical services such as point-of-care (POC) testing to help manage chronic disease and acute illness. Objective To identify key themes in the successful delivery of POC testing services by community pharmacists in Pennsylvania. Results An initial search identified 51 Pennsylvania pharmacies with a CLIA waiver. Of these, five independent pharmacies met inclusion criteria, three of which completed interviews. The remaining 38 chain pharmacies were represented by three interviews. In total, five key themes were identified as essential to POC testing services: (1) utilize state resources and professional connections to navigate federal and state regulations, (2) establish relationships with physician partners (3) offer tests that are meaningful to patients and their physicians, (4) evaluate financial impact, workflow adaptations, and marketing approaches when implementing POC testing services, and (5) focus on individualized attention and convenience of community pharmacy-based POC testing to improve patient satisfaction. Conclusion Successful POC testing services in community pharmacy practice rely on utilizing resources, partnering with known physicians, selecting meaningful tests for patients, and analyzing finances, workflow, and marketing to provide individualized attention and convenient care.

scholarly journals Embracing the Evolution of Pharmacy Practice by Empowering Pharmacy Technicians

Pharmacy ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ryan Burke
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
The United States ◽  
Professional Organizations ◽  
Medication History ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Product Verification ◽  
Certification Requirements

While pharmacy technician roles in some practice settings are expanding beyond the traditional dispensing activities to include advanced or specialized tasks such as immunization administration, medication history collection, and final product verification, these practices are not yet widespread. There are apparent barriers to expanding the role of pharmacy technicians, including inconsistency in the education, training, and certification requirements across the United States, and regulations that have not kept pace with the evolving role of pharmacy technicians. Every corner of the profession has an opportunity, and responsibility, to elevate pharmacy technicians in an effort to advance safety and better serve patients. Regulators can expand the responsibilities that may be delegated to technicians, professional organizations can bring pharmacy technicians into the fold, employers can build career ladders to allow for advancement, and individual pharmacists and pharmacy technicians can advocate and engage.

Exploring the expanded role of the pharmacy technician in medication therapy management service implementation in the community pharmacy

2019 ◽  
Vol 59 (2) ◽  
pp. 187-194 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kenneth C. Hohmeier ◽  
Sharon L.K. McDonough ◽  
Leanne Justis Rein ◽  
Andrea L. Brookhart ◽  
Mara L. Gibson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Medication Therapy Management ◽  
Management Service ◽  
Therapy Management ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Medication Therapy

scholarly journals Facilitating integration of regulated pharmacy technicians into community pharmacy practice in Ontario: Results of an exploratory study

2018 ◽  
Vol 151 (3) ◽  
pp. 189-196 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luna Salameh ◽  
Daniel Yeung ◽  
Natali Surkic ◽  
Paul Gregory ◽  
Zubin Austin
Keyword(s):  
Identity Formation ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Implementation Strategies ◽  
Direct Patient Care ◽  
Successful Implementation ◽  
Community Practice ◽  
Community Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians

Background: The integration of regulated pharmacy technicians (RPTs) into community pharmacy practice was intended to relieve pharmacists of certain technical duties to facilitate greater provision of direct patient care services, commensurate with expanded scope of practice. There is scant data available regarding the success, value and impact of RPT integration, either in Canada or in other jurisdictions. Methods: Pharmacists and RPTs working in community practices were interviewed. Qualitative data were categorized using an iterative coding process to identify themes related to barriers and facilitators to integrating and optimizing the role of the RPT in community practice in Ontario. Results: A total of 16 RPTs and 12 pharmacists were interviewed from community sites in Ontario. Strategies for facilitating successful integration of RPTs into daily workflow were identified, based on 4 major themes: environmental factors, interpersonal factors, professional identity formation and innovative use of delegation. Interpretation: Integration of RPTs into community practice is complex and requires careful management, planning, training and follow-up to ensure attainment of objectives. Simply hiring RPTs and placing them into existing workflow patterns is generally not a successful implementation strategy. Conclusions: Implementation strategies identified through this study can provide employers, managers, pharmacists and RPTs with opportunities to enhance RPT integration and optimize the role of both pharmacists and RPTs in community practice.

scholarly journals Advancing Community Pharmacy Practice – A Technician Product Verification Pilot to Optimize Care

2020 ◽  
Vol 11 (2) ◽  
pp. 14
Author(s):  
Michael Andreski ◽  
Erica Martin ◽  
Victoria Valentine Brouner ◽  
Sarah Sorum
Keyword(s):  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Patient Care ◽  
Error Rate ◽  
Pharmacy Practice ◽  
Direct Patient Care ◽  
Utilization Review ◽  
Original Research ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
Product Verification

Elevating the technical role of pharmacy technicians to perform Technician Product Verification (TPV) is one strategy that has shown promise to optimize pharmacy practice models. This is done by better positioning pharmacists to provide clinical care, in line with their education and expertise. TPV permits a Validated Pharmacy Technician, as defined by the Wisconsin Pharmacy Examining Board, to verify the accuracy of a product filled by another technician. The pharmacist maintains responsibility for assessing the clinical appropriateness of the prescription, including drug utilization review, data entry, and patient counseling.  During the study period, 12,891 pharmacist-verified prescriptions (baseline) and 27,447 Validated Pharmacy Technician-verified prescriptions were audited for accuracy. The aggregate verification error rate for pharmacist-verified prescriptions was 0.16% and 0.01% for Validated Pharmacy Technician-verified prescriptions. The mean error rate was significantly less for Validated Pharmacy Technician-verified prescriptions than for pharmacist-verified prescriptions (0.19 ± 0.174 % vs 0.03 ± 0.089 %, p=0.020) (Figure 3). This suggests TPV in the community pharmacy setting maintained patient safety. In this study, Validated Pharmacy Technicians were shown to be more accurate than pharmacists at performing product verification. The ability to delegate the product verification task holds the potential to free up pharmacist time for increased direct patient care. Increasing direct patient care by pharmacists in community pharmacies may have significant implications for improving patient outcomes and pharmacy quality.   Article Type: Original Research

Pharmacy Technician Educators' Attitudes toward Education and Training Requirements for Pharmacy Technicians

2000 ◽  
Vol 16 (4) ◽  
pp. 133-137 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathy D Moscou
Keyword(s):  
Response Rate ◽  
Training Programs ◽  
Education And Training ◽  
Level Of Education ◽  
Training Requirements ◽  
Pharmacy Technician ◽  
National Examination ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians ◽  
And Training

Objective: To poll members of the Pharmacy Technician Educators Council (PTEC) to determine their attitudes toward the level of education and training necessary for pharmacy technicians to perform current and expanded duties. Methods: A convenience survey was developed and sent to 130 PTEC member training programs. PTEC members include directors of college, vocational, and on-the-job training programs. Results: Thirty-seven PTEC members responded, yielding a response rate of 28.5%. Responses reflected the opinions of directors of pharmacy technician programs from 19 states. All respondents agreed that the length of training for pharmacy technicians should be standardized. They also agreed that minimum competencies should be established for pharmacy technicians and that examination should be required to obtain certification or licensure that would then enable the technician to be employed in the field. Conclusions: The use of pharmacy technicians will likely increase, as will the duties pharmacy technicians perform. Expansion of the role of pharmacy technicians, however, must be in tandem with standardizing training and establishment of competencies for pharmacy technicians. Increased responsibilities should be commensurate with increased education and national examination should be required to determine competency.

scholarly journals The Hidden Role of Community Pharmacy Technicians in Ensuring Patient Safety with the Use of E-Prescribing

Pharmacy ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 3 (4) ◽  
pp. 330-343 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olufunmilola Odukoya ◽  
Loren Schleiden ◽  
Michelle Chui
Keyword(s):  
Patient Safety ◽  
Community Pharmacy ◽  
Pharmacy Technicians
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