Methods in pharmacy practice research – using the palette ingeniously

Abstract

the availability of clinical pharmacy services has the responsibility to provide these comprehensively and consistently. A pharmacist providing an HMR has the responsibility to identify and remediate drug-related problems -to fail to do so could well imply negligence and it is not beyond the realm of possibility that one day cases of litigation could ensue. In short, be careful what is wished for -a hard-won privilege once attained will require vigilance in consistent application.In this edition of the Journal, we see engaging discussion of pharmacy interventions from a range of perspectives, an affirmation of how far the profession has come. No doubt much progress has been made and more will follow. Generations of pharmacists to come will need to build upon the hard work of their predecessors so that they can further consolidate their standing as health professionals who can do much good by rendering interventions, and who can prevent serious drug-related harm through the routine provision of their services across a wide range of settings. METHODS IN PHARMACY PRACTICE RESEARCH -USING THE PALETTE INGENIOUSLYThe Journal of Pharmacy Practice and Research is a journal that reports on research in pharmacy practice and clinical pharmacy. Over the decades the emphasis on what constitutes important research within the field has changed and developed. The recent emphasis in clinical pharmacy research has been on testing the impact of interventions. However, these trial reports have often lacked thorough and transparent descriptions of the process of designing and implementing the intervention. This has given rise to implementation research, which is maybe less highly ranked as direct evidence of effect. However, this research does provide another substantial knowledge base for pharmacy practitioners about what works and more importantly how it works. In order to ride this new wave of broader tastes for research issues, it is comforting to see that researchers within the field make varied use of available methods. It is important for researchers and practitioners to learn about what an intervention entails and how it fits within a larger framework. When studies of clinical pharmacy interventions are published, often one sees a rather short and often cursory description of the intervention itself due to space limitations. However, knowing how the environment (i.e. the organisation and the involved professions) interacts with the new or improved program is of more importance than ever. Therefore, a large palette of methods has been introduced that allows researchers in pharmacy practice to capture perspectives and understand the organisational and societal levels within which clinical pharmacy operates. That is where a large part of the learning rests, and can bring the pharmacy profession forward within health care.In this issue of the Journal there are a number of good examples of how research designs, data collection, and analysis methods have been used to study how practice is evolving and could evolve. There are exam...