Interprofessional team members' experiences collaborating with pharmacists in team-based primary care in British...

The profession of pharmacy has been continuously evolving, redefining scope of practice in every practice settings to meet the ongoing needs of the health care system and to meet patient expectations and need. Pharmacists are increasingly becoming part of primary care teams in countries such as Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. In British Columbia, Canada, the Pharmacists in Primary Care Network (PCN) Program integrated primary care clinical pharmacists (PCCPs) as core members of the interprofessional team (IPT). The IPT members' experiences of collaborating with a pharmacist in a team-based primary care setting have not been extensively studied.

To describe the experiences of IPT members and PCCPs while working collaboratively for the shared care of mutual patients to identify the enablers, barriers, and development of interprofessional collaborations within the primary care setting in a province-wide program.

Based upon the evaluation of the Pharmacists in the PCN Program, this work was informed by Qualitative Description methodology. Interview and focus group data were performed during two time periods (T1 and T2) of program implementation. Study participants included PCCPs, prescribers (family physicians and nurse practitioners), and PCN IPT members (social workers, dieticians, physiotherapists, and clinical counsellors). Each participant was invited via e-mail to attend a Zoom interview or focus group session.

In T1 we interviewed 15 PCCPs and in T2, we interviewed 39 PCCPs, 12 IPT members and 11 prescribers. Data analysis developed four themes: (i) awareness shaping early acceptance and role clarity; (ii) deepening interprofessional collaboration over time; (iii) communication strategies which facilitated relationship building with the PCN providers; and (iv) impact of the co-location model on teamwork and improved care coordination.

The interprofessional collaboration between PCCPs, prescribers, and IPT members was strengthened through efforts of relationship building, improved role clarity, and easily accessible communication methods. The PCN teams addressed the initial integration challenges and provided the support for effective shared patient care.