|
EVALUATING THE GENERAL LEVEL COMPETENCY FRAMEWORK IN PRIMARY CARE AND
COMMUNITY PHARMACY: PRELIMINARY RESULTS
Mills ER, Bates I, Davies JG, Farmer D, Webb D
Dept. of Practice and Policy, School of Pharmacy, 29 - 39 Brunswick Square,
London WC1N (elizabeth.mills@pharmacy.ac.uk)
Introduction
The reform programme for the NHS is based around the need for healthcare
professionals to maintain their competence1. A competency framework designed
to facilitate the development of pharmacists working at a general level
in hospital pharmacy has been shown to improve individual performance2,3
which was sustained over a 12 month period. This General Level Framework
has been adapted to support primary care and community pharmacists (nGLF)4.
The current project aims to evaluate the framework as a measurable mechanism
to support the continuing professional development (CPD) of pharmacists
working in primary care and community pharmacy. This paper reports preliminary
results from this evaluation.
Methods
Sixty nine pharmacists from the six counties in the South East of
England were recruited to use the framework to support their CPD. Pharmacists
worked as managers (28), locums (9) or owners (16) in community pharmacy,
or as a PCT pharmacist (13), or in a dispensing GP practice (3). Pharmacists
made an initial self assessment against a range of competencies within
the nGLF. Pharmacists used the framework over a 12 month period to identify
learning needs for CPD. Pharmacists were visited at 4 months and at 8
months by a trained facilitator to support their self assessment. Final
self assessments were collected at 12 months. The nGLF consisted of 35
patient care competencies assessed on a four point performance scale (1=never,
2=sometimes, 3=usually, 4=always). A control group of pharmacists made
a self assessment at baseline and at 12 months (in progress). This paper
reports preliminary data from the active pharmacists only.
Results
| Figure 1: Mean Patient Care Competency Score over
the 12 month evaluation |
A mean competency score for the patient care competency
cluster was calculated. Figure 1 illustrates the pharmacists' competency
progression in the patient care competencies over the 12 month period.
The change in competency score over time was significant (One-way
repeat measures ANOVA: F(1,17)=4077.71, p<0.001). In addition the
number of pharmacists maintaining a CPD record significantly increased
over the 12 month project duration (McNemar, p<0.001). |
 |
Discussion
Pharmacists using the framework with facilitation to support their
CPD demonstrated significant gains in competency score for patient care
over time, based upon self-assessment. In addition pharmacists participating
as active subjects were encouraged to maintain a CPD record. Month-12
data from the control pharmacists are still being collected, but this
preliminary analysis suggests that use of the nGLF to support CPD produces
improvements in the patient care competencies of community and primary
care pharmacists.
Reference
1. Department of Health (2000). The NHS Plan: A plan for investment.
A plan for reform. HM Stationary Office, London.
2. McRobbie D, Webb DG, Bates I, Wright J, Davies JG. Assessment of clinical
competence: designing a competence grid for junior pharmacists. Pharmacy
Education 2001; 1: 67-76.
3. Antoniou S, Webb DG, Davies JG, Bates IP, McRobbie D, Wright J, Quinn
J. General level competency framework improves the clinical practice of
hospital pharmacists: final results of the south of England trial. Int
J Pharm Pract 2004: 12 (suppl); R22-23
4. Mills ER, Farmer D, Bates I, Davies JG, Webb DG, McRobbie D. Development
of an evidence-led framework for primary care and community pharmacy.
Pharmaceutical Journal 2005; 275: 48-52
Presented at the HSRPP Conference 2006, Bath
|
