The General Level Framework: use in primary care and community pharmacy to support professional development

Abstract

Objectives To compare practice pharmacists and community pharmacists based on the use of the General Level Framework (GLF) as a tool to support continuing professional development (CPD). Setting Primary care and community pharmacy in London and the East of England. Method The study pharmacists were self‐selected after distribution of recruitment packs in the study area through local pharmaceutical committees, primary care trusts and two large multiples. Sixty‐nine pharmacists used the framework to support their CPD (42 community pharmacists and 27 with a role in primary care pharmacy). Pharmacists made an initial self‐assessment against the GLF and then used the framework over a 12‐month period to identify learning needs for CPD. Pharmacists identified their desired performance levels for the behaviours in the framework, based on guidance from the project team, and then identified their learning needs by comparing the desired performance level with their self‐assessment. Pharmacists were visited at 4 and 8months by a trained facilitator to support their self‐assessment and progress with CPD. Final self‐assessments were collected at 12months. Assessment ratings for the delivery of patient‐care competencies were compared. Key findings There was no difference in the probability of either group achieving their desired performance level (log rank = 0.023, 1 df, P = 0.878): pharmacists achieved their desired performance level irrespective of their sector of work, demonstrating the applicability of the GLF to the different sectors of practice. Practice pharmacists had a higher aggregated score for the desired performance levels than the community pharmacists (Mann‐Whitney U = 10.500, P < 0.001; median = 133.0 and 119.5 respectively). Conclusion Both groups of pharmacists were able to apply the framework to their practice and use it to support their CPD, resulting in increasing self‐assessed competency scores over time. The higher desired performance level for practice pharmacists compared with community pharmacists conveys a difference, perceived or actual, between the two roles. Irrespective of the difference in desired performance levels, both groups of pharmacists have improved, to meet their level of expectation, over the 12‐month period.

Individualized Education and Competency Development of Croatian Community Pharmacists Using the General Level Framework

“…23 Documentation of pharmacist contributions is a useful tool in enhancing communication with other healthcare providers, justifying the workload, and identifying opportunities for focused drug use review. 24 Although several studies reported that most hospital pharmacists…”

Evaluation of Croatian Community Pharmacists' Patient Care Competencies Using the General Level Framework

“…14 The GLF allows accurate determination of a precise described meanings and level of such competencies. 10,11,15 There is a strong connection between competency and performance. Multiple-choice tests, oral examinations, or essays can be used to test factual knowledge, but more sophisticated methods are needed to assess performance, including observation, objective structured clinical examinations, and role play using standardized or real patients.…”

Evaluation of Competences at the Community Pharmacy Settings

“…One of the most common models for the evaluation and development of pharmacists' capabilities currently in use in Europe, Asia and Australia 11,12,[15][16][17][18] is described in the General Level Framework (GLF) document. The GLF is an evidence-based framework developed by the Competency Development and Evaluation Group and in synergy with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) guiding principles for pharmaceutical education.…”

“…Improvements of competencies have been observed in the environments which have implemented the GLF document as a training tool. 11,12,[15][16][17][18] This is the first study that reports the evidence associated with development, implementation and evaluation of pharmacists' competencies in Serbia using a validated professional development framework. The aims of this study are: 1) to show the adaptation process of the GLF document to the Serbian pharmaceutical workforce and regulations; 2) to illustrate the implementation of the Serbian-adapted GLF in a chain of the state-owned pharmacies in the Republic of Serbia, and to evaluate if there is a measurable improvement of pharmacists' competencies and monitoring of the pharmaceutical services provisions.…”