Exploring Competencies of Primary Care Pharmacists Practicing in Public Sector: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

Objective: To identify competencies of pharmacists needed for practicing primary care in community in the public sector. Methods: Qualitative research methodology was undertaken. Eighteen purposively sampled participants including 12 professional pharmacists with at least three years of experiences in primary care in public sector, 3 health practitioners working closely with them, and 3 health profession leaders were in-depth interviewed. Triangulation of significant information from three different sources of data was undertaken to ensure trustworthiness of the study. Results: Eleven competencies essential to public primary pharmacy were elicited with inevitable voices of the context. These competencies can be characterized into four predominant interrelated domains: primary care pharmacist’s personal attributes, human competency, professional technical competency, and conceptualization competency. The interrelation among these domains helps understand how to develop competencies to encompass primary care tasks. Typical characteristics of leverage and challenging properties in particular competencies emerged volitionally according to the situational context. The public-minded attribute was claimed a requisite competency for recruitment. Conclusion: The competencies found in this study were meaningful to the success of public primary care practice for pharmacists. These competencies are essential for pharmacy profession and governmental health organizations to strengthen and nurture primary care roles for pharmacists. Professional pharmacists would benefit from the guidance on how to commit primary care responsibilities and perform the job effectively. In addition, the lesson learned from this study helps evoke educational institutions to revitalize curriculum of formal programs and mentorship.