Practice Improvement Training Program

The new Practice Improvement Training Program (PITP) helps pharmacists train their staff in the supply of non-prescription medicines and helps to ensure pharmacies are achieving qualtiy use of medicines and optimal health outcomes in the provision of Pharmacy Medicines and Pharmacist Only Medicines. The QCPP also supports this with a number of requirements which relate specifically to the training of pharmacy staff.

To become QCPP accredited all staff who supply Pharmacy Medicines or assist the pharmacist with the supply of Pharmacist Only Medicines should complete initial training via a recognised course and three hours of ongoing refresher training, per year.

The valuable in-pharmacy training tools of the PITP will assist pharmacies to meet QCPP Refresher Training requirements and help ensure that pharmacy staff maintain their skills, ask those important questions and refer customers to the pharmacist when necessary. In-pharmacy QCPP Refresher Training can be provided by a pharmacist or a senior staff member and should be recorded by the pharmacy assistant on their staff training record.

The PITP encourages pharmacists to embrace their leadership role by equipping them to be trainers in their pharmacy. The program also enables pharmacists to be positive role models and meet professional obligations through evaluating and improving their own performance in the provision of non-prescription medicines.

The PITP includes a resources kit with a variety of training materials to help pharmacists and pharmacy staff. There are six training modules, each about 30 minutes long, to be delivered by a pharmacist. As the PITP is a flexible program, these modules can be delivered in any order in a format that suits the pharmacy.

Each pharmacy will have a different approach to the delivery of PITP with the individual needs of the pharmacy and its staff in mind. Thus the modules could be delivered one after another over half a day, or they could be delivered at separate times, ideally one week apart to allow maximum retention of information and to give staff time to implement key principles into practice.

The PITP training can also be tailored to suit a varying range of experience among staff. Pharmacies could use the training as an induction tool for new staff, or they could present to groups with a skill mix for more experienced members to guide others in their learning.

The resource kit is made up of a number of components:

Disc

This disc consists of a PowerPoint presentation with audio introducing pharmacists to the PITP and the resource kit. It helps to familiarise pharmacists with the contents and facilitate the use of the resources in the training and support of staff.

Flipcharts

Flipcharts aid in the delivery of the six communication modules to small groups. Pharmacies training larger groups of staff may choose to use the PowerPoint presentation versions of the flipchart modules provided on the disc instead.

Video case studies

The video case studies are two-part videos which automatically stop at a point to allow discussion. The pharmacist should facilitate discussion with staff as prompted on the flipchart module to achieve optimal health outcomes for consumers and to discuss strategies to achieve best practice or to overcome any barriers presented in the scenario.

Workbook

The workbooks complement and reinforce the training modules. Staff may wish to complete the workbook beforehand as preparation or they may complete the workbook after each module, or at the completion of the training sessions, to revise and reinforce their learning. There are additional activities and exercises, such as the written reviews, to assist in this. The completed workbook can be used by staff as a reference guide.

Scenario cards

The scenario cards suggest interactions for role play for staff to practise their skills in the provision of non-prescription medicines. They can be used before training to assess staff levels of knowledge and experience, or used after video case discussions to reinforce theory with practice.

Instructions for using the cards in small groups of two or three staff members are included. The scenarios can also be acted out by two people and then discussed by the training group as a whole. The pharmacist should facilitate role plays and discussion by asking questions, some of which are provided on the reverse of the cards. The pharmacist should also suggest improvements and motivate staff toward best practice through affirmation and encouragement.

The cards can also be used outside the training sessions as an induction tool for new staff, as revision and a refresher tool for all staff. Blank scenario cards have been provided for pharmacists to develop and tailor scenarios with the specific needs for training in their own pharmacy.

Evaluation forms

Pharmacy assistants should complete evaluation forms after each module to self-assess their learning as well as provide feedback to the presenting pharmacist.

Presentation of the PITP training to pharmacy assistants is recognised under the Society's CPD&PI Program for four points per hour of presentation (for the first presentation of all six modules only if multiple presentations are to be held). Presenting pharmacists need to complete and return their evaluation form, along with the evalutation forms of the attending pharmacy assistants, to ensure points are included on their member record in the PSA database.

The PITP program has been developed by the Pharmaceutical Society of Australia with the support of the Pharmacy Guild and is funded by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing as part of the Fourth Community Pharmacy Agreement.