Development of a core set of clinical skills for pharmacist prescribers working in general practice: A Delphi study

With increasing numbers of pharmacists working in general practices and undertaking patient-facing roles, it has been recognised that they must have the necessary clinical skills. However, previous studies have highlighted that practice-based pharmacists (PBPs) do not feel confident regarding their clinical skills, and it is unclear what skills are needed.

To develop a core set of clinical skills (CSs) required for pharmacists who intend to practise as independent prescribers working in general practice/family medicine.

Based on a previous study, 18 CSs were selected for inclusion in a three-round Delphi consensus questionnaire. These skills were rated by a Delphi panel on a 9-point Likert scale (ranging from 1 = limited importance to 9 = critical). The Delphi panel comprised designated leads of pharmacist independent prescribing programmes in each United Kingdom educational provider listed on the General Pharmaceutical Council website. A CS was included in the core set if 80% or more of participants scored between 7 and 9, and 15% or less scored between 1 and 3.

Following Round 1, seven CSs met the criteria for inclusion: 'Measuring heart rate (radial pulse)', 'Assessing respiratory rate', 'Measuring blood pressure (manual, e.g. with aneroid sphygmomanometer)', 'Measuring blood pressure (automated, i.e. electronic blood pressure monitor)', 'Measuring peripheral oxygen saturation (using pulse oximeter)', 'Measuring temperature', 'Measuring Peak Expiratory Flow Rate'. After two further rounds, a further four CSs were included consisting of 'Undertaking a urinalysis', 'Respiratory examination (includes inspection, palpation, percussion and listening to breath sounds)', 'Screening for/assessment of depression and anxiety using a validated questionnaire (e.g. Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] scoring)', and 'Patient assessment via National Early Warning Score (NEWS)'. No consensus was reached on nine CSs.

This study has produced a core set of CSs for prescribing pharmacists. This study may contribute to standardisation of training and assessment for pharmacist prescribers working in general practice/family medicine.