Identifying the needs among Dutch pharmacists in clinical decision-making: a qualitative study
Summary
Background Clinical decision-making is considered a core competence of pharmacists. However, there is limited understanding on what pharmacists need to make clinical decisions.
Objective The objective of this study was to identify the needs among Dutch pharmacists in clinical decision-making in pharmacy practice.
Methods An explorative, qualitative study was designed. Ten in-depth interviews using semi-structured questions were conducted with pharmacists working in a clinical role in primary or secondary care between August 2021 and December 2021. The interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed verbatim. Thematic analysis was then performed to identify, analyze and report themes within the data.
Results The findings were categorized into three themes. The first theme, pharmacist’s attributes, included four subthemes: 1- knowledge, 2- skills, 3- attitude and 4- autonomy. The second theme, clinical case, included three subthemes: 1- trigger, 2- patient record and 3- patient conversation. The final theme was the workplace environment with three subthemes: 1- sources, 2- facilities and 3- colleagues.
Discussion In summary, this thesis contributes to the understanding of the needs among Dutch pharmacists in clinical decision-making and introduces aspects that pharmacists could be facilitated in. The preconditions of this model can be further used to support teaching clinical decision-making among pharmacists and pharmacy students.