Angela Alexander - Academia.edu (original) (raw)
Papers by Angela Alexander
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2019
Objective. To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of healthy living assessments (HLA) conduc... more Objective. To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of healthy living assessments (HLA) conducted on campus by undergraduate pharmacy students. Methods. Because of a shortage of workplace-based placements for undergraduate pharmacy students, a program was developed for students to conduct HLAs on campus for volunteer patients. Pharmacy students underwent training and completed a competency assessment before being approved to conduct HLAs. Staff members and students were recruited to serve as participants. Following the HLA, pharmacy students completed a quantitative and qualitative questionnaires to assess their perceived educational gains and opinions about the experience. Participants who underwent an HLA were asked to complete a questionnaire about the quality of the service they received. Results. From 2011-2019, 896 HLAs were conducted by 764 undergraduate pharmacy students. The students reported that completing an HLA improved their clinical knowledge, counselling skills, professionalism, and confidence when talking to participants. They believed the HLA delivered an authentic learning experience, similar to that achieved during workplace-based placements. The HLA service was rated as good or outstanding by 99% of the participants, and the majority stated that they intended to make lifestyle changes as a result of attending the HLA. Conclusion. Conducting healthy living assessments provided undergraduate pharmacy students a valuable, quality-assured opportunity for experiential learning. The HLAs were well received by participants as they informed them about their current health status and gave them useful advice about making health improvements.
my lifelong friend and confidant, thank you for the many calls to make me keep pushing. Thank you... more my lifelong friend and confidant, thank you for the many calls to make me keep pushing. Thank you, Mrs. Betty Elfert, for providing professional opportunities and making time for me even when time was of the essence. Dr. Tiffany Lombas-Lopez, you gave much of your time and energy. You shared professional information and know-how and it is appreciated.
Pharmaceutical Journal, 2010
Background: Currently, all pharmacists and technicians registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical S... more Background: Currently, all pharmacists and technicians registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain must complete a minimum of nine Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record (entries) each year. From September 2010 a new regulatory body, the General Pharmaceutical Council, will oversee the regulation (including revalidation) of all pharmacy registrants in Great Britain. CPD may provide part of the supporting evidence that a practitioner submits to the regulator as part of the revalidation process. Gaps in knowledge necessitated further research to examine the usefulness of CPD in a pharmacy revalidation Project aims: The overall aims of this project were to summarise pharmacy professionals’ past involvement in CPD, examine the usability of current CPD entries for the purpose of revalidation, and to examine the impact of ‘revalidation standards’ and a bespoke Outcomes Framework on the conduct and construction of CPD entries for future revalidation of pharmacy professionals. We completed a comprehensive review of the literature, devised, validated and tested the impact of a new CPD Outcomes Framework and related training material in an empirical investigation involving volunteer pharmacy professionals and also spoke with our participants to bring meaning and understanding to the process of CPD conduct and recording and to gain feedback on the study itself. Key findings: The comprehensive literature review identified perceived barriers to CPD and resulted in recommendations that could potentially rectify pharmacy professionals’ perceptions and facilitate participation in CPD. The CPD Outcomes Framework can be used to score CPD entries Compared to a control (CPD and ‘revalidation standards’ only), we found that training participants to apply the CPD Outcomes Framework resulted in entries that scored significantly higher in the context of a quantitative method of CPD assessment. Feedback from participants who had received the CPD Outcomes Framework was positive and a number of useful suggestions were made about improvements to the Framework and related training. Entries scored higher because participants had consciously applied concepts linked to the CPD Outcomes Framework whereas entries scored low where participants had been unable to apply the concepts of the Framework for a variety of reasons including limitations posed by the ‘Plan & Record’ template. Feedback about the nature of the ‘revalidation standards’ and their application to CPD was not positive and participants had not in the main sought to apply the standards to their CPD entries – but those in the intervention group were more likely to have referred to the revalidation standards for their CPD. As assessors, we too found the process of selecting and assigning ‘revalidation standards’ to individual CPD entries burdensome and somewhat unspecific. We believe that addressing the perceived barriers and drawing on the facilitators will help deal with the apparent lack of engagement with the revalidation standards and have been able to make a set of relevant recommendations. We devised a model to explain and tell the story of CPD behaviour. Based on the concepts of purpose, action and results, the model centres on explaining two types of CPD behaviour, one following the traditional CE pathway and the other a more genuine CPD pathway. Entries which scored higher when we applied the CPD Outcomes Framework were more likely to follow the CPD pathway in the model above. Significant to our finding is that while participants following both models of practice took part in this study, the CPD Outcomes Framework was able to change people’s CPD behaviour to make it more inline with the CPD pathway. The CPD Outcomes Framework in defining the CPD criteria, the training pack in teaching the basis and use of the Framework and the process of assessment in using the CPD Outcomes Framework, would have interacted to improve participants’ CPD through a collective process. Participants were keen to receive a curriculum against which certainly CE-type activities could be conducted and another important observation relates to whether CE has any role to play in pharmacy professionals’ revalidation. We would recommend that the CPD Outcomes Framework is used in the revalidation of pharmacy professionals in the future provided the requirement to submit 9 CPD entries per annum is re-examined and expressed more clearly in relation to what specifically participants are being asked to submit – i.e. the ratio of CE to CPD entries. We can foresee a benefit in setting more regular intervals which would act as deadlines for CPD submission in the future. On the whole, there is value in using CPD for the purpose of pharmacy professionals’ revalidation in the future.
Pharmaceutical Journal, 2009
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 2015
Background Using continuing professional development (CPD) as part of the revalidation of pharmac... more Background Using continuing professional development (CPD) as part of the revalidation of pharmacy professionals has been proposed in the UK but not implemented. We developed a CPD outcomes framework ('the framework') for scoring CPD records, where the score range was -100 to +150 based on demonstrable relevance and impact of the CPD on practice. Objective This exploratory study aimed to test the outcome of training people to use the framework, through distance-learning material (active intervention), by comparing CPD scores before and after training. Setting Pharmacy professionals were recruited in the UK in Reading, Banbury, Southampton, Kingston-upon-Thames and Guildford in 2009. Method We conducted a randomised, double-blinded, parallel-group, before and after study. The control group simply received information on new CPD requirements through the post; the active intervention group also received the framework and associated training. Altogether 48 participants (25 control, 23 active) completed the study. All participants submitted CPD records to the research team before and after receiving the posted resources. The records (n = 226) were scored blindly by the researchers using the framework. A subgroup of CPD records (n = 96) submitted first (before-stage) and rewritten (after-stage) were analysed separately. Main outcome measure Scores for CPD records received before and after distributing group-dependent material through the post. Results Using a linear-regression model both analyses found an increase in CPD scores in favour of the active intervention group. For the complete set of records, the effect was a mean difference of 9.9 (95 % CI 0.4-19.3), p value = 0.04. For the subgroup of rewritten records, the effect was a mean difference of 17.3 (95 % CI 5.6-28.9), p value = 0.0048. Conclusion The intervention improved participants' CPD behaviour. Training pharmacy professionals to use the framework resulted in better CPD activities and CPD records, potentially helpful for revalidation of pharmacy professionals.
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 2011
Objectives Continuing professional development (CPD) has potential to be useful in pharmacy reval... more Objectives Continuing professional development (CPD) has potential to be useful in pharmacy revalidation but past uptake and attitudes to CPD in Great Britain (GB) need to be mapped. This review examines published literature to chart the participation and beliefs of pharmacy professionals towards CPD in GB in a decade that had seen a formal transition from continuing education to CPD. Methods A comprehensive review of the published literature was conducted to identify studies of the uptake of, or attitudes towards, CPD cross different sectors of pharmacy in GB from 2000 to 2010. Key findings Twenty-two studies were included and analysed, including 13 research papers, six conference papers, two news items reporting survey outcomes and one commissioned study. Eight barriers to CPD were identified as: time, financial costs and resource issues, understanding of CPD, facilitation and support for CPD, motivation and interest in CPD, attitudes towards compulsory CPD, system constraints, an...
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 1993
THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines... more THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines for response to symptoms in community pharmacy (see Panel). There is evidence that these guide-lines are not always adhered to. Recently, there has been some criticism of the way in which ...
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 1997
A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in ... more A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in Wiltshire, conducted using semi-structured questionnaires, indicated that training led to changes in knowledge and perceived changes in attitude and practice. The value of the increased knowledge was recognised by participants, in particular when talking to patients and other health professionals. The change in attitude, towards a more holistic view of health, is seen by the authors as a positive benefit of training, as it may be of value to the pharmacists. Changes in practice were evident despite recognised constraints. Recommendations for future health promotion training schemes are: training ~hould be ongoing; joint working with other health care professionals is needed fully to achieve training objectives; the role of the pharmacist should be promoted; and this currently unremunerated role should be recognised by Wdtshire health authority for its potential contribution towards the health care of the population, and receive appropriate funding. ME central theme of the United Kingdom Govxnment's "Health of the nation" initiative, launched in 1992, is to encourage individuals and organisations to work together to improve health,] primarily by providing advice about healthy lifestyles and building on people's natural inclination to look after themselves and those tor whom they care. The ready access of the public to their local pharmacy provides an ideal opportunity to give information and advice in support of Health of the Nation. Pharmacies represent an accessible, non-threatening environment from which to provide health education and advice. Pharmacists can reinforce the messages provided by general practitioners, practice nurses, dietitians and their local health promotion service. In the UK, each health authority has at least one health promotion unit responsible for providing information and support to health professionals, school teachers, local authorities and others engaged in health promotion activities. The pharmacist is one of the few health professionals who regularly sees large numbers of "healthy" people; the pharmacy is, therefore, the ideal point from which to disseminate messages about healthy living, healthy eating, safer sex and smoking cessation. In some areas, pharmacists speak the ethnic language of many of the local population, which can be an advantage. The role of the pharmacist in health promotion was identified in the Barnet family health services authority (FHSA) high street health scheme.2-5 The scheme was used as one of the examples in a health promotion booklet produced by the Department of Health for primary health care teams in 1994.6 The Barnet scheme has been adapted and adopted by over half the health authorities in England.3
Prescriber, 2006
C ommunity pharmacy is undergoing a 'quiet revolution' according to Health Minister Jane Kennedy.... more C ommunity pharmacy is undergoing a 'quiet revolution' according to Health Minister Jane Kennedy. But initial reactions to the introduction of medicines use reviews (MURs), part of the new pharmacy contract in England and Wales, have been far from quiet.
Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 2013
The United Kingdom&am... more The United Kingdom's pharmacy regulator contemplated using continuing professional development (CPD) in pharmacy revalidation in 2009, simultaneously asking pharmacy professionals to demonstrate the value of their CPD by showing its relevance and impact. The idea of linking new CPD requirements with revalidation was yet to be explored. Our aim was to develop and validate a framework to guide pharmacy professionals to select CPD activities that are relevant to their work and to produce a score sheet that would make it possible to quantify the impact and relevance of CPD. We adapted an existing risk matrix, producing a CPD framework consisting of relevance and impact matrices. Concepts underpinning the framework were refined through feedback from 5 pharmacist teacher-practitioners. We then asked 7 pharmacists to rate the relevance of the framework's individual elements on a 4-point scale to determine content validity. We explored views about the framework through focus groups with 6 participants and interviews with 17 participants who had used it formally in a study. The framework's content validity index was 0.91. Feedback about the framework related to 3 themes of penetrability of the framework, usefulness to completion of CPD, and advancement of CPD records for the purpose of revalidation. The framework can help professionals better select CPD activities prospectively, and makes assessment of CPD more objective by allowing quantification, which could be helpful for revalidation. We believe the framework could potentially help other health professionals with better management of their CPD irrespective of their field of practice.
International Journal of …, 1993
THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines... more THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines for response to symptoms in community pharmacy (see Panel). There is evidence that these guide-lines are not always adhered to. Recently, there has been some criticism of the way in which ...
… Journal of Pharmacy …, 2010
University of Reading. CentAUR: Central Archive at the University of Reading. Accessibility navig... more University of Reading. CentAUR: Central Archive at the University of Reading. Accessibility navigation. Methodology for assessing the appropriateness of Continuing Professional Development for pharmacy professionals' revalidation. ...
Pharmaceutical journal, 2006
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF …, 1997
A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in ... more A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in Wiltshire, conducted using semi-structured questionnaires, indicated that training led to changes in knowledge and perceived changes in attitude and practice. The value of the increased ...
International Journal of …, 2003
Objective To analyse the content of messages to an internet mailing list for UK pharmacists and t... more Objective To analyse the content of messages to an internet mailing list for UK pharmacists and to ascertain if the list was performing a continuing professional development (CPD) function. Method For one month all messages to the main list were categorised by topic; details of the gender of the correspondent and their sector of the profession were noted. Members were surveyed using an internet questionnaire. Setting The population of subscribers to the mailing list at http://www.private-rx.com Key findings The top three categories of e-mails posted to the list were clinical pharmacy (20%), pharmacy politics (18%) and non-pharmacy chat (14%). Other subjects included legal issues, the Drug Tariff, government policy, business, risk management and e-mails of a personal and supportive nature. The survey obtained a 46% response rate. Ninety-eight per cent of respondents found the list valuable. Respondents reported increased face to face and Internet contact with other pharmacists after joining the list. Forty-four per cent of respondents said their practice had changed as a result of information gained from the mailing list. Qualitative data self-reported by respondents indicated increased self-perceived competence, confidence, knowledge and skills. Approaches to CPD had also been reexamined. Listening to peers' views and overcoming isolation was seen as important. Conclusion Private-Rx provided pharmacists with a rapid route for information gain, had perceived benefits and appeared to have brought about changes in practice. Internet discussion enables CPD without the restriction of time or place and reaches pharmacists who are under-represented in formal education programmes.
American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 2019
Objective. To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of healthy living assessments (HLA) conduc... more Objective. To implement and evaluate the effectiveness of healthy living assessments (HLA) conducted on campus by undergraduate pharmacy students. Methods. Because of a shortage of workplace-based placements for undergraduate pharmacy students, a program was developed for students to conduct HLAs on campus for volunteer patients. Pharmacy students underwent training and completed a competency assessment before being approved to conduct HLAs. Staff members and students were recruited to serve as participants. Following the HLA, pharmacy students completed a quantitative and qualitative questionnaires to assess their perceived educational gains and opinions about the experience. Participants who underwent an HLA were asked to complete a questionnaire about the quality of the service they received. Results. From 2011-2019, 896 HLAs were conducted by 764 undergraduate pharmacy students. The students reported that completing an HLA improved their clinical knowledge, counselling skills, professionalism, and confidence when talking to participants. They believed the HLA delivered an authentic learning experience, similar to that achieved during workplace-based placements. The HLA service was rated as good or outstanding by 99% of the participants, and the majority stated that they intended to make lifestyle changes as a result of attending the HLA. Conclusion. Conducting healthy living assessments provided undergraduate pharmacy students a valuable, quality-assured opportunity for experiential learning. The HLAs were well received by participants as they informed them about their current health status and gave them useful advice about making health improvements.
my lifelong friend and confidant, thank you for the many calls to make me keep pushing. Thank you... more my lifelong friend and confidant, thank you for the many calls to make me keep pushing. Thank you, Mrs. Betty Elfert, for providing professional opportunities and making time for me even when time was of the essence. Dr. Tiffany Lombas-Lopez, you gave much of your time and energy. You shared professional information and know-how and it is appreciated.
Pharmaceutical Journal, 2010
Background: Currently, all pharmacists and technicians registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical S... more Background: Currently, all pharmacists and technicians registered with the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain must complete a minimum of nine Continuing Professional Development (CPD) record (entries) each year. From September 2010 a new regulatory body, the General Pharmaceutical Council, will oversee the regulation (including revalidation) of all pharmacy registrants in Great Britain. CPD may provide part of the supporting evidence that a practitioner submits to the regulator as part of the revalidation process. Gaps in knowledge necessitated further research to examine the usefulness of CPD in a pharmacy revalidation Project aims: The overall aims of this project were to summarise pharmacy professionals’ past involvement in CPD, examine the usability of current CPD entries for the purpose of revalidation, and to examine the impact of ‘revalidation standards’ and a bespoke Outcomes Framework on the conduct and construction of CPD entries for future revalidation of pharmacy professionals. We completed a comprehensive review of the literature, devised, validated and tested the impact of a new CPD Outcomes Framework and related training material in an empirical investigation involving volunteer pharmacy professionals and also spoke with our participants to bring meaning and understanding to the process of CPD conduct and recording and to gain feedback on the study itself. Key findings: The comprehensive literature review identified perceived barriers to CPD and resulted in recommendations that could potentially rectify pharmacy professionals’ perceptions and facilitate participation in CPD. The CPD Outcomes Framework can be used to score CPD entries Compared to a control (CPD and ‘revalidation standards’ only), we found that training participants to apply the CPD Outcomes Framework resulted in entries that scored significantly higher in the context of a quantitative method of CPD assessment. Feedback from participants who had received the CPD Outcomes Framework was positive and a number of useful suggestions were made about improvements to the Framework and related training. Entries scored higher because participants had consciously applied concepts linked to the CPD Outcomes Framework whereas entries scored low where participants had been unable to apply the concepts of the Framework for a variety of reasons including limitations posed by the ‘Plan & Record’ template. Feedback about the nature of the ‘revalidation standards’ and their application to CPD was not positive and participants had not in the main sought to apply the standards to their CPD entries – but those in the intervention group were more likely to have referred to the revalidation standards for their CPD. As assessors, we too found the process of selecting and assigning ‘revalidation standards’ to individual CPD entries burdensome and somewhat unspecific. We believe that addressing the perceived barriers and drawing on the facilitators will help deal with the apparent lack of engagement with the revalidation standards and have been able to make a set of relevant recommendations. We devised a model to explain and tell the story of CPD behaviour. Based on the concepts of purpose, action and results, the model centres on explaining two types of CPD behaviour, one following the traditional CE pathway and the other a more genuine CPD pathway. Entries which scored higher when we applied the CPD Outcomes Framework were more likely to follow the CPD pathway in the model above. Significant to our finding is that while participants following both models of practice took part in this study, the CPD Outcomes Framework was able to change people’s CPD behaviour to make it more inline with the CPD pathway. The CPD Outcomes Framework in defining the CPD criteria, the training pack in teaching the basis and use of the Framework and the process of assessment in using the CPD Outcomes Framework, would have interacted to improve participants’ CPD through a collective process. Participants were keen to receive a curriculum against which certainly CE-type activities could be conducted and another important observation relates to whether CE has any role to play in pharmacy professionals’ revalidation. We would recommend that the CPD Outcomes Framework is used in the revalidation of pharmacy professionals in the future provided the requirement to submit 9 CPD entries per annum is re-examined and expressed more clearly in relation to what specifically participants are being asked to submit – i.e. the ratio of CE to CPD entries. We can foresee a benefit in setting more regular intervals which would act as deadlines for CPD submission in the future. On the whole, there is value in using CPD for the purpose of pharmacy professionals’ revalidation in the future.
Pharmaceutical Journal, 2009
International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy, 2015
Background Using continuing professional development (CPD) as part of the revalidation of pharmac... more Background Using continuing professional development (CPD) as part of the revalidation of pharmacy professionals has been proposed in the UK but not implemented. We developed a CPD outcomes framework ('the framework') for scoring CPD records, where the score range was -100 to +150 based on demonstrable relevance and impact of the CPD on practice. Objective This exploratory study aimed to test the outcome of training people to use the framework, through distance-learning material (active intervention), by comparing CPD scores before and after training. Setting Pharmacy professionals were recruited in the UK in Reading, Banbury, Southampton, Kingston-upon-Thames and Guildford in 2009. Method We conducted a randomised, double-blinded, parallel-group, before and after study. The control group simply received information on new CPD requirements through the post; the active intervention group also received the framework and associated training. Altogether 48 participants (25 control, 23 active) completed the study. All participants submitted CPD records to the research team before and after receiving the posted resources. The records (n = 226) were scored blindly by the researchers using the framework. A subgroup of CPD records (n = 96) submitted first (before-stage) and rewritten (after-stage) were analysed separately. Main outcome measure Scores for CPD records received before and after distributing group-dependent material through the post. Results Using a linear-regression model both analyses found an increase in CPD scores in favour of the active intervention group. For the complete set of records, the effect was a mean difference of 9.9 (95 % CI 0.4-19.3), p value = 0.04. For the subgroup of rewritten records, the effect was a mean difference of 17.3 (95 % CI 5.6-28.9), p value = 0.0048. Conclusion The intervention improved participants' CPD behaviour. Training pharmacy professionals to use the framework resulted in better CPD activities and CPD records, potentially helpful for revalidation of pharmacy professionals.
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 2011
Objectives Continuing professional development (CPD) has potential to be useful in pharmacy reval... more Objectives Continuing professional development (CPD) has potential to be useful in pharmacy revalidation but past uptake and attitudes to CPD in Great Britain (GB) need to be mapped. This review examines published literature to chart the participation and beliefs of pharmacy professionals towards CPD in GB in a decade that had seen a formal transition from continuing education to CPD. Methods A comprehensive review of the published literature was conducted to identify studies of the uptake of, or attitudes towards, CPD cross different sectors of pharmacy in GB from 2000 to 2010. Key findings Twenty-two studies were included and analysed, including 13 research papers, six conference papers, two news items reporting survey outcomes and one commissioned study. Eight barriers to CPD were identified as: time, financial costs and resource issues, understanding of CPD, facilitation and support for CPD, motivation and interest in CPD, attitudes towards compulsory CPD, system constraints, an...
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 1993
THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines... more THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines for response to symptoms in community pharmacy (see Panel). There is evidence that these guide-lines are not always adhered to. Recently, there has been some criticism of the way in which ...
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice, 1997
A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in ... more A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in Wiltshire, conducted using semi-structured questionnaires, indicated that training led to changes in knowledge and perceived changes in attitude and practice. The value of the increased knowledge was recognised by participants, in particular when talking to patients and other health professionals. The change in attitude, towards a more holistic view of health, is seen by the authors as a positive benefit of training, as it may be of value to the pharmacists. Changes in practice were evident despite recognised constraints. Recommendations for future health promotion training schemes are: training ~hould be ongoing; joint working with other health care professionals is needed fully to achieve training objectives; the role of the pharmacist should be promoted; and this currently unremunerated role should be recognised by Wdtshire health authority for its potential contribution towards the health care of the population, and receive appropriate funding. ME central theme of the United Kingdom Govxnment's "Health of the nation" initiative, launched in 1992, is to encourage individuals and organisations to work together to improve health,] primarily by providing advice about healthy lifestyles and building on people's natural inclination to look after themselves and those tor whom they care. The ready access of the public to their local pharmacy provides an ideal opportunity to give information and advice in support of Health of the Nation. Pharmacies represent an accessible, non-threatening environment from which to provide health education and advice. Pharmacists can reinforce the messages provided by general practitioners, practice nurses, dietitians and their local health promotion service. In the UK, each health authority has at least one health promotion unit responsible for providing information and support to health professionals, school teachers, local authorities and others engaged in health promotion activities. The pharmacist is one of the few health professionals who regularly sees large numbers of "healthy" people; the pharmacy is, therefore, the ideal point from which to disseminate messages about healthy living, healthy eating, safer sex and smoking cessation. In some areas, pharmacists speak the ethnic language of many of the local population, which can be an advantage. The role of the pharmacist in health promotion was identified in the Barnet family health services authority (FHSA) high street health scheme.2-5 The scheme was used as one of the examples in a health promotion booklet produced by the Department of Health for primary health care teams in 1994.6 The Barnet scheme has been adapted and adopted by over half the health authorities in England.3
Prescriber, 2006
C ommunity pharmacy is undergoing a 'quiet revolution' according to Health Minister Jane Kennedy.... more C ommunity pharmacy is undergoing a 'quiet revolution' according to Health Minister Jane Kennedy. But initial reactions to the introduction of medicines use reviews (MURs), part of the new pharmacy contract in England and Wales, have been far from quiet.
Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 2013
The United Kingdom&am... more The United Kingdom's pharmacy regulator contemplated using continuing professional development (CPD) in pharmacy revalidation in 2009, simultaneously asking pharmacy professionals to demonstrate the value of their CPD by showing its relevance and impact. The idea of linking new CPD requirements with revalidation was yet to be explored. Our aim was to develop and validate a framework to guide pharmacy professionals to select CPD activities that are relevant to their work and to produce a score sheet that would make it possible to quantify the impact and relevance of CPD. We adapted an existing risk matrix, producing a CPD framework consisting of relevance and impact matrices. Concepts underpinning the framework were refined through feedback from 5 pharmacist teacher-practitioners. We then asked 7 pharmacists to rate the relevance of the framework's individual elements on a 4-point scale to determine content validity. We explored views about the framework through focus groups with 6 participants and interviews with 17 participants who had used it formally in a study. The framework's content validity index was 0.91. Feedback about the framework related to 3 themes of penetrability of the framework, usefulness to completion of CPD, and advancement of CPD records for the purpose of revalidation. The framework can help professionals better select CPD activities prospectively, and makes assessment of CPD more objective by allowing quantification, which could be helpful for revalidation. We believe the framework could potentially help other health professionals with better management of their CPD irrespective of their field of practice.
International Journal of …, 1993
THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines... more THE Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain's code of ethics' includes guidelines for response to symptoms in community pharmacy (see Panel). There is evidence that these guide-lines are not always adhered to. Recently, there has been some criticism of the way in which ...
… Journal of Pharmacy …, 2010
University of Reading. CentAUR: Central Archive at the University of Reading. Accessibility navig... more University of Reading. CentAUR: Central Archive at the University of Reading. Accessibility navigation. Methodology for assessing the appropriateness of Continuing Professional Development for pharmacy professionals' revalidation. ...
Pharmaceutical journal, 2006
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF …, 1997
A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in ... more A telephone survey of 40 pharmacists before and after attendance on a health promotion course in Wiltshire, conducted using semi-structured questionnaires, indicated that training led to changes in knowledge and perceived changes in attitude and practice. The value of the increased ...
International Journal of …, 2003
Objective To analyse the content of messages to an internet mailing list for UK pharmacists and t... more Objective To analyse the content of messages to an internet mailing list for UK pharmacists and to ascertain if the list was performing a continuing professional development (CPD) function. Method For one month all messages to the main list were categorised by topic; details of the gender of the correspondent and their sector of the profession were noted. Members were surveyed using an internet questionnaire. Setting The population of subscribers to the mailing list at http://www.private-rx.com Key findings The top three categories of e-mails posted to the list were clinical pharmacy (20%), pharmacy politics (18%) and non-pharmacy chat (14%). Other subjects included legal issues, the Drug Tariff, government policy, business, risk management and e-mails of a personal and supportive nature. The survey obtained a 46% response rate. Ninety-eight per cent of respondents found the list valuable. Respondents reported increased face to face and Internet contact with other pharmacists after joining the list. Forty-four per cent of respondents said their practice had changed as a result of information gained from the mailing list. Qualitative data self-reported by respondents indicated increased self-perceived competence, confidence, knowledge and skills. Approaches to CPD had also been reexamined. Listening to peers' views and overcoming isolation was seen as important. Conclusion Private-Rx provided pharmacists with a rapid route for information gain, had perceived benefits and appeared to have brought about changes in practice. Internet discussion enables CPD without the restriction of time or place and reaches pharmacists who are under-represented in formal education programmes.