Evaluation of a Hospital Pharmacist Annual Competency Program.

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Healthcare Professional Development
• Clinical Competency Assessment

Background:

• Pharmacist competency in specialized clinical areas is crucial for patient safety.
• Low-volume, high-risk tasks present unique challenges for maintaining proficiency.
• Existing competency evaluation methods may require optimization for effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a pharmacist annual competency evaluation (PACE) program.
• To assess changes in pharmacist self-efficacy following the PACE program.
• To identify areas for programmatic improvement in competency assessment.

Main Methods:

• A single-site evaluation of a pharmacist annual competency evaluation (PACE) program.
• Measurement of pharmacist composite self-efficacy (PSE) scores pre- and post-program (1 month and 1 year).
• Assessment of generalized self-efficacy (GSE) and qualitative feedback via questionnaires.

Main Results:

• Pharmacist composite self-efficacy (PSE) scores significantly increased by 12.6% at 1 month post-PACE (P < .001).
• All individual clinical task self-efficacy components showed statistically significant improvement at 1 month.
• Generalized self-efficacy (GSE) scores also increased by 11.4% post-program; no remediation was needed.

Conclusions:

• The PACE program effectively enhanced pharmacist self-efficacy for managing low-volume, high-risk clinical tasks.
• Competency assessment programs can improve confidence and potentially patient care outcomes.
• Further research should explore optimal competency assessment strategies and timing.