An evaluation of teaching physical examination to pharmacists

Evolving scope of practice has led pharmacists to develop new skills traditionally performed by other members of the health care team, including physical examination (PE). A session to teach PE skills to pharmacists was created as part of a professional development program. The purpose of this study was to evaluate participants' perception of, barriers to and confidence in performing PE before and after the session.

A 2-hour session introduced participants to PE as part of a primary care professional development program. Surveys were administered before and after the session, and then 4 weeks later. Participants' confidence in performing PE was assessed using a 4-point unipolar scale questionnaire, and mean weighted responses were compared between the pre- and post-session surveys.

Thirty-four pharmacists participated in the study. At baseline, 82.4% had never received formal PE education, but 38.2% performed PE in practice, including blood pressure measurement. Eighty-two percent of participants identified barriers to performing PE, the most common being lack of formal training. Participants' confidence with PE significantly increased between the pre- and post-session surveys, except for comfort with making drug therapy interventions based on PE findings. Forty-three percent of participants completed the 4-week follow-up survey, which demonstrated that the use of PE in practice remained unchanged.

Prior to the session, most participants did not use PE in their practice, primarily due to a lack of formal training. The session significantly improved participants' confidence in PE, but this did not translate into short-term practice change.