Educating Australian pharmacists about the use of online information in community pharmacy practice

Abstract

Objectives Community pharmacists practice in an information technology‐rich society, however many have not been educated in internet use for professional practice. The aims of this study were to investigate how community pharmacists use the internet in their practice; to develop an intervention to address their educational needs; and to examine the benefits and weakness of a flexible delivery programme. Method We conducted two focus groups investigating community pharmacists' internet use and education needs. We subsequently developed and provided a four‐module educational course on CD ROM, ‘Advanced web skills for pharmacists: finding quality on the internet’. In total, 147 pharmacists participated. A survey was conducted to evaluate the impact of the course. Key findings The focus group findings provided a clear rationale for an educational intervention. One‐hundred and four pharmacists completed the course. Participating pharmacists were highly positive about the learning experience, in particular the provision of education by flexible delivery. Many reported specific changes to practice. They also described the time‐consuming nature of the course as the biggest barrier to further education. Conclusions This project demonstrates the need for community pharmacists to have access to internet education. Flexible CD ROM‐based learning provided a successful delivery medium.

Digital literacy knowledge and needs of pharmacy staff: A systematic review

“…Another surveyed allied health professionals (AHPs), including pharmacists, in Australia about their use of electronic evidence resources 53. A further Australian study, based on community pharmacists, combined pre-intervention focus groups with a post-educational intervention evaluative survey 51. The final study used mixed methods to review informatics content, including computer and digital literacy skills, in pharmacy education by mapping syllabi returned by schools of pharmacy against the US ACPE Standards 52…”

“…Based on a literature review, Bearman et al51 found ‘there was little or no information regarding community pharmacists’ skills and knowledge levels or how they currently employ internet technologies’. Through focus groups, they identified a ‘wide variety of technical knowledge and skills.’ Where access was available, participants most commonly used the internet at work for email and to search pharmacy-related topics, such as medicines or patient information, with a small proportion contributing to a pharmacy message forum.…”

“…Findings from Bearman et al’s51 literature review showed that ‘many [community pharmacists] have not been educated in internet use for professional practice’. Although Gosling and Westbrook53 found a ‘marked difference between professions use’ of an online evidence system, there is no clear way to relate this back to pharmacy or other allied health professional training.…”

Incorporating research training into undergraduate pharmacy courses: A case study from Australia

“…Australian studies have highlighted the need for pharmacists to have skills in identifying and critiquing literature that consumers use for advice (Williams & Wong, 2003;Bearman et al, 2005). This is supported by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia Professional Practice Standards that highlight the importance of pharmacists using evidence-based resources and their ability to critically interpret information to provide to consumers (Pharmaceutical Society of Australia, 2006).…”

“…Many pharmacists have not been educated to use the internet for professional practice (Bearman, Bessell, Gogler, & McPhee, 2005) and may view this information as unreliable (Williams & Wong, 2003). More than ever then, pharmacists must be able to critically appraise research reports and assess the claims of pharmaceutical companies, whether the information comes from the internet or from more traditional sources such as peer-reviewed journal articles or books.…”