'She taught me': factors consumers find important in nurse practitioner and pharmacist prescriber services

The accessibility of pharmacist prescribing and impacts on medicines access: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Pharmacist prescribing has been introduced in several countries as a strategy to improve access to health care and medicines. However, the direct impacts of pharmacist prescribing on medicines access, and the overall accessibility of pharmacist prescribing services, are not well known.

OBJECTIVES

This systematic review aimed to assess the direct impacts of pharmacist prescribing on medicines access, and the accessibility of pharmacist prescribing services, in community and primary care settings.

METHODS

PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL were searched for studies published in English between 01 January 2003 to 15 June 2023. Both quantitative and qualitative primary studies were included if they described pharmacist prescribing in a primary care setting. Outcomes included findings related to access to medicines as a result of pharmacist prescribing (primary outcome), and access to pharmacist prescribing services overall (secondary outcome). Narrative synthesis of outcomes was undertaken.

RESULTS

A total of 47 studies were included from four countries (United States, United Kingdom, Canada, New Zealand). Thirteen studies provided evidence that pharmacist prescribing may improve medicines access in several ways, including: increasing the proportion of eligible people receiving medicines, increasing the number of overall dispensed prescriptions, or reducing time to receipt of treatment. The remainder of the included studies reported on the accessibility of pharmacist prescribing services. Published studies highlight that pharmacist prescribers practicing in community settings are generally accessible, with pharmacist prescribers viewed by patients as easy and convenient to consult. There was limited evidence about the affordability of pharmacy prescribing services, and a number of potential equity issues were observed, including reduced access to pharmacist prescribers in more socioeconomically disadvantaged areas and those with greater proportions of populations at risk of health inequities, such as culturally and linguistically diverse communities.

CONCLUSIONS

This systematic review found that pharmacist prescribing services were both highly accessible and beneficial in improving access to medicines. However, measures of medicines access varied, and few studies included direct measures of medicines access as an outcome of pharmacist prescribing, highlighting a need for future studies to incorporate direct measures of medicines access when assessing the impact of pharmacist prescribing services.

"Prescribing for the whole person": A qualitative study exploring prescribing pharmacist views on type 2 diabetes management in New Zealand

BACKGROUND

Pharmacist prescribers have comprehensive pharmacotherapy knowledge that can be useful for management of complex health conditions such as type 2 diabetes, yet the number of pharmacist prescribers working in New Zealand primary care is low.

AIM

To explore the experiences of pharmacist prescribers in supporting type 2 diabetes management in New Zealand primary care.

METHODS

Qualitative research design using semi-structured interviews with six pharmacist prescribers working in NZ primary care. Thematic analysis guided this study and themes were finalised with the wider research team.

RESULTS

Three major themes were identified: team approach, health inequity and the role of a pharmacist prescriber. This study found that pharmacist prescribers may improve health equity by providing advanced pharmacotherapy knowledge within a wider primary care team to support complex patient needs and understanding the wider social determinants of health that impact effective diabetes management. Participants reportedly had more time to spend with patients (than GPs or nurses) and could also contribute to improving health outcomes by directly educating and empowering patients.

CONCLUSION

The views of pharmacist prescribers have seldom been explored and this study suggests that their role may be under-utilised in primary care. In particular, pharmacist prescribers can provide specialist prescribing (and often mobile) care, and may contribute to improving health outcomes and reducing inequity when used as part of a multi-disciplinary team.

Perceptions of underlying practice hierarchies: Who is managing my care?

BACKGROUND

The introduction of new health professional roles, such as that of the nurse practitioner and pharmacist prescriber in primary health care can lead to changes in health service delivery. Consumers, having used these roles, often report high satisfaction. However, there is limited knowledge of how these individuals position nurse practitioner and pharmacist prescriber roles within existing practice structures.

METHODS

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 individuals receiving services from these practitioners in New Zealand primary health care. Interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim for thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Participant views reflect established practice hierarchies, placing advanced practitioners 'below' general practitioners. Participants are unable to articulate what it was about these practitioners that meant they operated at lower tiers and often considered practitioners to act as 'their doctor'. They also highlight structural barriers impairing the ability of these providers to operate within their full scope of practice.

CONCLUSIONS

While seeing value in the services they receive, consumers are often unable to position nurse practitioner and pharmacist prescriber roles within health system contexts or to articulate how they value their practitioner's skills. Embedded structural barriers may be more visible to consumers than their interactions with the health system suggest. This may influence peoples' ability to receive intended or optimal health services. Consumer 'health professional literacy' around the functions of distinct health practitioners should be supported so that they may make informed service provision choices.