Self-reported clinical pharmacy service provision in Austria: an analysis of both the community and hospital pharmacy sector-a national study

Abstract

Background With expansion of more advanced clinical roles for pharmacists we need to be mindful that the extent to which clinical pharmacy services are implemented varies from one country to another. To date no comprehensive assessment of number and types of services provided by either community or hospital pharmacies in Austria exists. Objective To analyse and describe the number and types of clinical pharmacy services provided in both community and hospital pharmacies, as well as the level of clinical pharmacy education of pharmacists across Austria. Setting Austrian community and hospital pharmacies. Method An electronic questionnaire to determine number and types of clinical pharmacy services provided was send to all chief pharmacists at all community (n = 1365) and hospital pharmacies (n = 40) across Austria. Besides current and future services provision, education and training provision were also assessed. Main outcome measure Extent of and attitude towards CPS in Austria. Results Response rates to the surveys were 19.1% (n = 261/1365) in community and 92.5% (n = 37/40) in hospital pharmacies. 59.0% and 89.2% of community and hospital pharmacies, respectively, indicated that the provision of clinical pharmacy services in Austria has increased substantially over the past 10 years. Fifty-one percent of community pharmacies reported to provide a medication review service, while 97.3% of hospitals provide a range of services. Only 18.0% of community pharmacies offer services other than medication review services at dispensing. Binary regressions show that provision of already established medication management is a predictor for the willingness of community pharmacists to extend the range of CPS (p < 0.01), while completed training in the area of clinical pharmacy is not (p > 0.05). More hospital than community pharmacists have postgraduate education in clinical pharmacy (17.4% vs 6.5%). A desire to complete postgraduate education was shown by 28.3% of community and 14.7% of hospital pharmacists. Lack of time, inadequate remuneration, lack of resources and poor relationship between pharmacists and physicians were highlighted as barriers. Conclusion Both community and hospital pharmacists show strong willingness to expand their service provision and will need continued support, such as improved legislative structures, more supportive resources and practice focused training opportunities, to further these services.

Keywords: Austria; Clinical pharmacy; Clinical pharmacy service provision; Community pharmacy; Hospital pharmacy.