Five tips for integrating pharmacy technicians into chronic disease management

Statistics show that more than 4.9 million Canadians over the age of 65 live with at least one chronic disease.1 Since the pandemic began, there has been an increased level of inaccessibility to health care, and fewer in-person visits for chronic disease care.2 However, 95% of Canadians live within 5 km of a pharmacy.3 Utilizing pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to their full scopes of practice can open up more resources for care.Integrating pharmacy technicians into chronic disease management workflow can be an efficient way of utilizing technicians to their full scope of practice and their full potential in the pharmacy. Technicians are capable of relieving pharmacists from the technical stresses in the pharmacy, freeing pharmacists for more clinical roles and providing opportunities for more patients to be seen for chronic disease testing and management. To realize these goals, this article outlines five tips for integrating pharmacy technicians into chronic disease management in the pharmacy.Adjust your workflowEnsure that your pharmacy is set up to utilize technicians to their full scope. Technicians must be free to enter the clinical setting and encouraged to use their scope as this is key for success. When a patient presents to your pharmacy or clinic, the technician should be able to leave the regular workflow to focus on the patient and the service they are there to receive, whether that be a point-of-care (POC) test, best possible medication history or an injection.If a location has only one technician, schedule them in the background, instead of front-facing; this would allow the technician to be utilized for whatever tasks need to be done that day. An alternative could be the use of schedule-based appointments on certain days of the week, to allow the technician to focus on chronic disease management or other technician-based appointments. This might depend on the number of prescriptions being dispensed and clinic room needs, with the aim of creating a balance between dispensary and clinic needs.A 2021 study assessed the impact of pharmacy technician-supported POC testing.4 It showed that 85% of technicians approved of technician-driven POC testing and 72%–77% agreed that utilizing technicians for technical tasks is a suitable option to improve pharmacy workflow at most practice sites.In this study, 81% of pharmacists agreed or strongly agreed that technicians performing POC testing met their approval. In addition, 72% of pharmacy personnel believed that incorporating technicians into POC testing filled gaps in patient care. Pharmacies that included pharmacy technicians in their POC testing workflow also showed a 46% increase in the total number of health screenings performed.4Train your techsEnsure your technicians have the training necessary to provide POC testing for chronic disease management in the pharmacy. Provide technicians with as many opportunities as possible to learn about the various POC testing devices. Arrange for hands-on training when performing POC tests such as A1C, lipids, INR and strep testing. Provide opportunities to take formal training, such as the Point-of-Care Testing by Pharmacy Professionals program through PharmAchieve,5 or training offered by various pharmacy associations.Allow technicians to sit in while pharmacists complete medication reviews; this can enhance their ability to obtain best possible medication histories. Encourage technicians to use the ISMP Canada Best Possible Medication History Interview Guide,6 to help enhance their Technicians can also further their education on chronic diseases through conferences and continuing education programs, as well as by using resources from manufacturers of POC equipment.Utilize the full scope of techniciansNAPRA’s Professional Competencies for Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians at Entry to Practice in Canada states that pharmacy technicians can perform POC tests that have been recommended for the patient by an authorized health professional.7 Conducting tests within the pharmacy technician’s scope of practice must be done in accordance with all applicable laws, regulations, standards of practice and other rules in the jurisdiction. Depending on the jurisdiction, this can include (with the consent of the patient or their authorized agent), piercing a patient’s dermis to demonstrate the proper use of lancet-type devices for the patient’s self-care and education, or for the patient’s self-monitoring of their chronic disease; and conducting tests needed to properly manage drug therapy if delegated by a pharmacist who is authorized to order, receive, conduct and interpret tests to manage drug therapy.8Technicians in provinces that allow them to conduct tests can explain the purpose and goal of the test, administer the test, provide documentation once the test is completed and collect the results. They can also accurately take the patient’s blood pressure, weight and record other relevant information that the pharmacist may require for their assessment. As of October 2024, technicians in community pharmacies in Nova Scotia can apply for and have access to SHARE9 (the provincial Electronic Health Record system), which includes access to lab values and patient demographic data.Maximize care opportunitiesWhile performing POC testing, technicians can maximize their care opportunities with the patient. Some POC tests have longer run times, such as a lipid test with an assay time of seven to eight minutes.10 Technicians can use this time to talk to the patient, ask questions and update the patient history. They may be able to complete a best possible medication history and update the patient profile. Technicians could also gather information required to complete a Framingham Risk Score11 for pharmacist assessment, including total cholesterol, HDL, blood pressure and medical history. Technicians can confirm the patient’s immunization history, and offer any needed immunizations, where allowable in their jurisdiction.Trust your techniciansHaving trust in your technicians is a large part of ensuring success when incorporating them into chronic disease management workflow. Trust that they are well-educated and competent to practise to their full scope. Knowing that they have your trust will enhance technicians’ confidence and embolden them to seek out opportunities to utilize their scope to the fullest whenever possible. Technicians will have greater job satisfaction, and take advantage of opportunities for continuing learning and more direct collaboration with the pharmacist and patients.SummaryIncorporating technicians into your chronic disease management workflow can increase their job satisfaction and relieve some of the technical burden that pharmacists can face. It enables technicians to focus one-on-one with the patient, gather patient information, perform POC tests and give immunizations, while allowing pharmacists to focus on their clinical role. This can lead to greater efficiency in pharmacies and pharmacy clinics. Technicians can thrive when allowed to utilize their scope to its full potential, and make important contributions to chronic disease management.Robyn Oickle (roickle.rpt@gmail.com) is a registered pharmacy technician in community pharmacy and an instructor at Eastern College in Halifax, Nova Scotia.The author acknowledges Lauren Farrow, RPh, BSc Hons, BSc Pharm, and Pam Kennedy, RPH, for their insight on this article.References:Canadian Medical Association. A struggling system: understanding the health care impacts of the pandemic. November 2021. (accessed November 7, 2024).Pujolar G, Oliver-Anglès A, Vargas I, et al. Changes in access to health services during the COVID-19 pandemic: a scoping review. Int J Environ Res Public Health 2022;19(3):1749. (accessed November 7, 2024).Neighborhood Pharmacy Association of Canada. Impact report 23. 2023. Enabling the community health hub of tomorrow. (accessed November 7, 2024).Pope S, Hill H, Cardosi L, et al. Enhancing point-of-care testing through standardized training and redeployment of pharmacy technicians in the community setting. Explor Res Clin Soc Pharm 2021;2:100034. (accessed November 7, 2024).PharmAchieve Corporation Ltd. Point-of-care testing by pharmacy professionals. CCCEP-Accredited online program. (accessed November 7, 2024).Institute for Safe Medication Practices Canada. ISMP best possible medication history interview guide. (accessed November 7, 2024).National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities. Scope of practice for pharmacy technicians in Canadian jurisdictions. Table One: Pan-Canadian Overview, Effective August 2023. (accessed November 7, 2024).National Association of Pharmacy Regulatory Authorities. Professional competencies for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at entry to practice in Canada. 2024. (accessed November 7, 2024).Nova Scotia Canada. SHARE access for community pharmacy technicians. Pharmacy technicians can now request access to SHARE. PANS October 9, 2024 email. (accessed November 7, 2024).Abbott. Afinion lipid panel specifications. (accessed November 7, 2024).Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Framingham Risk Score. 2024. (accessed November 7, 2024).

Five tips for integrating pharmacy technicians into chronic disease management

Register for free access or login.

Related Topics

Business Topic