Extending COVID-19 Pharmacy Technician Duties: Impact on Safety and Pharmacist Jobs

Background: The 2019 coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) led to an expanded scope of practice for pharmacy technicians. As the pandemic wanes, state governments are faced with the decision of whether or not to make permanent the authority of pharmacy technicians to perform extended duties. Objective: Determine the impacts on patient safety and job market demands preadoption and postadoption of Idaho's expanded technician duties in 2017 as a natural experiment for expanded technician duties. Methods: Data from the National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) is used to explore patient safety outcomes in Idaho preadoption and postadoption and as compared with its border states. Data from Pharmacy Demand Reports is used to compare job postings in Idaho and its border state, and National Association of Boards of Pharmacy census data are used to compare growth in the number of pharmacists and technicians in Idaho and its border states over time. Results: For Idaho pharmacists, the average number of disciplinary actions reported against both pharmacists and technicians dropped after implementation of expanded technician duties. Idaho also had a lower rate of discipline for pharmacists and technicians than its border states. Idaho had the third highest job postings for pharmacists and the second highest for technicians among its border states. Idaho also had the largest growth in the number of licensed pharmacists and technicians of the observed states in the study period. Conclusion: Available statewide data from Idaho as compared with its border states suggests that expanded technician duties did not adversely impact patient safety outcomes or the pharmacist job market. Additional states may wish to expand pharmacy technician duties in the years ahead.