Development Of Pharmaceutical Care Competency Framework In China: A Qualitative Study In Hospital Pharmacy

• By: LU, Wanqing (Intemed Hospital Management & Development (Beijing), China)
• Co-author(s): Ms Wanqing Wang (The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China)
  Dr Rong Chen (The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China)
  Mr Jianguo Zhu (The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China)
  Mr Yong Wang (The First Affiliated Hospital of Soochow University, Suzhou, China)
  Mr Hao Lu (Intemed Hospital Management & Development (Beijing), Beijing, China)
  
• Abstract:

  Objective: With the currently accelerating changes in pharmacists’ roles and pharmacy service needs in China, evidence-based developmental tools are required to guide initial pharmacy education and define competencies for hospital pharmacists’ progression and provide pharmaceutical care for patients. This study aimed to develop a competency framework of pharmaceutical care for hospital pharmacists in China.
  Methods: A behavior event interview (BEI) method was used to gain understanding of the pharmaceutical care competency needs for the hospital pharmacists. A semi-structured interview schedule was developed and reviewed by experts in hospital pharmacy. A total of 22 eligible hospital pharmacists from large tertiary medical institutions from seven regions of China were interviewed. The interview process was audio recorded and transcribed verbatim by an independent experienced transcriber. The competency themes and sub-themes were then extracted from the interview contents by the researcher who conducted the interview to develop the framework.
  Results: Twenty-two pharmacists meeting the inclusion criteria were interviewed between January and April 2023. The results are coded into four major themes: professional competency, innovation capacity, interpersonal skills, management and leadership. The four major themes then included 15 sub-themes: (1) professional competency (expertise, professional skills, continuous learning, information retrieval); (2) innovation capacity (latest technology adoption, academic article writing, process optimization); (3) interpersonal skills (service mindset, accoutability, teamwork, empathy); (4) management and leadership (crisis management, inter-departmental coordination, strategic planning, execution).
  Conclusion: This study proposes the first competency framework of pharmaceutical care for hospital pharmacists in China. The developed framework serves as a guidance for the pharmacists to shift from “medication-focused” to “patient-focused” paradigm. The framework can be used as a reference for further improvement of initial pharmacy education and support excellence in pharmacists’ performance to address the country’s needs from pharmaceutical services, to provide higher quality pharmaceutical services to ensure patients’ rational medication use.