Evaluation of an accredited training program on implementation of point-of-care testing in community pharmacies

The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the National Association of Chain Drugstores' point-of-care testing (POCT) training program's effect on the implementation of pharmacy POCT services in Arkansas and barriers that may have prevented or slowed implementation. The secondary objective was to evaluate the quality of the training program by asking participants to report their feelings of preparedness at the conclusion of the training and once they began implementing POCT services independently.

In July 2019, 57 pharmacists in Arkansas were invited by e-mail to participate in a survey project to evaluate the effectiveness of the POCT training program. The responses were captured using the REDCap survey platform. The survey was available for approximately 5 weeks. The data were interpreted using descriptive analysis.

A total of 25 pharmacists responded to the survey. Eight e-mail contacts were determined to be inactive or ineligible to participate for a usable response rate of 46.9%. Approximately 48% of the respondents stated that their pharmacy offered POCT services. The most common barrier to implementation identified by the respondents was determining how to obtain treatment for patients who tested positive. Most of the respondents also reported feeling at least "very prepared" at the conclusion of the training program. Once they began implementing POCT services on their own, 6 respondents reported a decrease in preparedness, 2 respondents reported an increase in preparedness, and the remainder felt equally prepared in both scenarios. More than half of the respondents (52.2%) requested additional resources outside of what is currently provided.

The implementation rates and effectiveness of the training program discussed in this study will potentially help improve the training and expand POCT services. As pharmacies add additional services outside of dispensing products, training programs and other resources will become increasingly important.