A mixed methods exploration of the role of general practice-based pharmacists

Abstract

Practice-basedpharmacists (PBPs) have been introduced into general practice across the UnitedKingdom (UK) to relieve some of the pressures within primary care. There islittle existing UK literature that has explored healthcare professionals’ viewsabout PBP integration and how this role has evolved. Therefore, this thesisaimed to explore the role of PBPs in primary care in Northern Ireland and theirimpact on the delivery of care in general practice. A mixed methods approach(i.e. systematic review, quantitative and qualitative evaluations, and a Delphiconsensus exercise) was used across the four studies contained in this thesis.The systematic review identified a paucity of evidence with only nine studiesmeeting the inclusion criteria. Furthermore, the review found that PBP-ledinterventions such as medication reviews had improved a number of outcomes(e.g. reduced the number of medicines-related problems and improvedappropriateness of prescribing). The quantitative cross-sectional studyreported that the majority of general practitioners (GPs) had positive viewsabout the role of PBPs and positive attitudes towards collaboration with PBPs.The qualitative study corroborated the questionnaire study findings and foundthat PBPs had integrated well and were perceived to have had a positive impacton primary healthcare delivery. In the Delphi study, consensus was reached toinclude 11 clinical skills in the core set and no consensus was reached on nineclinical skills. The work contained in this thesis has added to the evidencebase regarding PBPs’ role and their impact in primary care and the findings mayhave implications for future developments in order to extend integration ofPBPs within general practice. Future research should also explore patients’ viewsof the role of the CP and that of the PBP.

Thesis is embargoed until 31 July 2024.