Pharmacy technicians trained as community health workers: A prospective multicenter cohort study

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Pharmacy Practice
• Community Health

Background:

• Community health workers (CHWs) are crucial for connecting patients with health resources.
• Access to CHW services can be limited for patients in underserved areas.
• Community pharmacies offer accessible points of care to bridge this gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify CHW services delivered by certified pharmacy technicians (CPhTs) in an underserved population.
• To establish a framework for implementing CHW services within community pharmacies.

Main Methods:

• A prospective cohort study trained CPhTs as CHWs across three community pharmacies.
• Services were documented via monthly visits (phone, home, pharmacy) using standardized forms.
• Descriptive statistics analyzed patient characteristics, services provided, referrals, and time spent.

Main Results:

• 198 patient visits yielded 351 primary and secondary services and 51 referrals over six months.
• Home visits led to the most primary services and social services provided.
• Average visit durations varied: phone (15.5 min), home (68.9 min), and pharmacy (30.6 min).

Conclusions:

• Training CPhTs as CHWs enhances patient contact and expands health service delivery.
• This model effectively utilizes community pharmacies to extend healthcare reach.
• CPhT-CHWs foster stronger patient-provider and patient-pharmacy relationships.