PharmOA: Supporting Community Pharmacies To Care For People With OA

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  The PharmOA Study: Development and implementation of support for pharmacies to deliver integrated primary care for osteoarthritis: a mixed methods investigation and evaluation. Part 1: Surveys, interviews and stakeholder co-design and engagement workshops.

• IRAS ID

  307227

• Contact name

  Krysia Dziedzic

• Contact email

  k.s.dziedzic@keele.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  Keele University

• Duration of Study in the UK

  1 years, 1 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Research Summary: Osteoarthritis is a common condition that causes pain, difficulties in undertaking normal activities and decreases quality of life. The problems caused by osteoarthritis can have negative impact on society. For example, people may stop working or undertaking caring activities, and there is a direct impact on the NHS. We hope to minimise these negative outcomes through improving care.

  Instead of the general practice, people could seek help from their local pharmacy to manage their osteoarthritis. This could include advice about how to manage pain and other symptoms with exercise, weight loss, medication, and other aids. This would make access to high quality, consistent, effective care more readily available and convenient. It will benefit practices by freeing-up appointments to tackle other issues.

  To provide appropriate support for community pharmacies to care for people with osteoarthritis, we aim to first:
  - understand patients, community pharmacy teams (CPs) and other health care professionals’ experiences and views about extended CP roles in delivering osteoarthritis care.
  - co-design and refine existing tools to support extended CP roles to deliver osteoarthritis care (PharmOA tools)

  To achieve these aims, the team will:
  • Undertake surveys and interviews with: patients aged 45 years and over with joint pain and osteoarthritis; community pharmacy teams; and other health professionals. This will enable us to identify ways that community pharmacies could better support people with osteoarthritis, making sure it is acceptable to all groups.
  • Complete stakeholder co-design and engagement workshops to refine existing tools to support extended CP roles to deliver osteoarthritis care (PharmOA tools), informed by the survey and interview findings

  People with osteoarthritis highlighted the need for and importance of this research and were involved in designing the project. The public co-applicant and the post-funding patient advisory groups will ensure that the project remains patient-focused and assist with dissemination.

  Summary of Results:
  Background: Osteoarthritis causes pain and difficulties in undertaking normal activities. People could seek help from their community pharmacy to manage their osteoarthritis, instead of seeking help from their general practice.
  This could include advice about managing pain and other symptoms with exercise and physical activity, weight loss, and medication. This would make access to high quality, consistent, effective care more readily available and convenient, and give people greater choice.

  Aim: To develop and test a new way of working that would help community pharmacies provide care for people with osteoarthritis.

  Methods: To achieve the project aims we:
  • Reviewed existing research,
  • Completed surveys and interviews with patients, community pharmacy teams and other health professionals, • Worked together with patients and professionals to develop a new way for community pharmacies to provide care for people with osteoarthritis (called PharmOA), • Tested the PharmOA way of working with community pharmacies in a feasibility study, • Developed recommendations about using the PharmOA way of working in the future.
  Results: Previous research was limited, but suggested it was possible for community pharmacies to provide osteoarthritis care. Surveys and interviews revealed that in principle, community pharmacy delivered osteoarthritis care would be supported, but barriers would need to be overcome (e.g. lack of time, staff shortages).

  The PharmOA way of working included three parts: joint health promotion (e.g displaying posters/ leaflets), brief consultations, and in-depth consultations for people with more complex needs. Although six community pharmacies expressed interest, only one took part in the feasibility study. When delivered, the PharmOA way of working was broadly well received by community pharmacy staff.

  Conclusions: The PharmOA way of working appears acceptable and feasible to community pharmacy teams but needs further testing. Exploring how to support community pharmacies to engage in this future research is a priority that needs addressing.

• REC name

  West Midlands - South Birmingham Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  22/WM/0124

• Date of REC Opinion

  25 May 2022

• REC opinion

  Further Information Favourable Opinion