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Constructs underlying community pharmacy dispensing functions relative to Florida pharmacy technicians.

Wilson DL, Kimberlin CL, Brushwood DB, Segal R

Rehabilitation Outcomes Research Center, North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health Service, Department of Veterans Affairs, Gainesville, FL, USA. debbie.wilson@va.gov

OBJECTIVES: To assess pharmacist and pharmacy technician opinions on functions community pharmacy technicians should perform. DESIGN: Cross-sectional and descriptive. SETTING: Florida community pharmacies during August and September 2004. PARTICIPANTS: Random sample of Florida community pharmacists (n = 2,000) and Certified Pharmacy Technicians (n = 2,000). INTERVENTION: Self-administered mail questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Participant attitudes (6-point Likert-type scale: 1, strongly disagree; 6, strongly agree) regarding whether pharmacy technicians should perform 26 community pharmacy dispensing functions. Chi-square difference tests and separate group exploratory factor analyses (EFAs) were conducted. RESULTS: Pharmacists (n = 383) and technicians (n = 579) agreed that technicians should perform 17 of the 26 (65%) functions. The groups differed significantly on eight items that were focused on patient care and beyond technicians' traditional involvement in processing prescriptions, with technicians having a more expansive view of their roles than did pharmacist respondents. Three similar factors were extracted in both groups from the EFAs: functions typical of pharmacy technicians in current practice, clinical pharmacy knowledge functions, and pharmacist-only functions as specified by law. Additionally, general drug knowledge (technician data only) and pharmacy information evaluation and management skills (pharmacist data only) factors were generated. CONCLUSION: Generally, pharmacists and technicians agreed on basic functions involving prescription and claims processing; however, technicians, as compared with pharmacists, supported a more expanded patient care role for themselves.

Published 12 September 2007 in J Am Pharm Assoc (2003), 47(5): 588-98.
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