Effectiveness of a continuing education program of drugs with fiscalized substance to improve pharmacy staff competencies: A multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial
Metadatos
Mostrar el registro completo del ítemEditorial
Centro de Investigaciones y Publicaciones Farmacéuticas
Materia
Education pharmacy continuing Pharmacies Pharmacist Pharmacy technicians Pharmaceutical services
Fecha
2022-09-01Referencia bibliográfica
Mauricio C... [et al.]. Effectiveness of a continuing education program of drugs with fiscalized substance to improve pharmacy staff competencies: A multicenter, cluster-randomized controlled trial. Pharmacy Practice 2022 Jul-Sep;20(3):2632. [https://doi.org/10.18549/PharmPract.2022.3.2632]
Patrocinador
Committee for Development Research and the sustainability of the University of Antioquiaprogram; Randox LaboratoriesResumen
Background: Drugs with fiscalized substances without a correct prescription may lead to undesirable side effects. Pharmacy staff needs to improve their
competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) to contribute to providing ambulatory pharmacy services and minimizing medication errors. Continuing
education programs (CEP) could favor access to relevant and quality information on health promotion, disease prevention, and the rational use of drugs.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a continuing education program to improve pharmacy staff competencies to enhance the use of drugs with
fiscalized substances. Methods: A multicenter, prospective, parallel-group, cluster-randomized, controlled clinical trial was conducted in drugstores and
pharmacies in Colombia (ambulatory retail establishments). The intervention group (IG) received a CEP: a web-based social networking site, a virtual
course, a dispensing information system, and face-to-face training. The control group (CG) received general written material on the correct use of drugs.
We measured pharmacy staff’s skills, attitudes, and knowledge self-reported scores, and the simulated patient technique was used to assess the participant
skills and attitudes in real practice. We used a questionnaire designed for this study, which was evaluated by a group of experts and piloted and showed a
Cronbach’s alpha of 0.96. Results: Three hundred five drugstores and pharmacies were enrolled in two groups: IG (n = 153) and CG (n = 152). Out of the
750 potential participants, 88% (n=659) agreed to participate. The pharmacy staff’s skills, attitudes, and knowledge self-reported scores post-intervention
were higher than baseline in both groups; however, the IG had statistically significantly higher scores than the CG. Post-intervention, the self-efficacy skills
and attitudes in the IG improved by 88% (22 of 25) and in six of the seven assessed knowledge components (p<0.001). However, the dispensing criteria
evaluated with simulated patient methodology showed no statistically significant differences between groups in the pharmacy staff’s skills and attitudes in
real practice. Conclusions: Providing a continuing education program using different educational strategies improved the pharmacy staff’s competencies
(assessed knowledge and self-reported skills and attitudes) to enhance the use of drugs with fiscalized substances. However, there were no improvements
in skills and attitudes in real practice. These findings could show that pharmacy staff needs additional and continuous training/sustainability.