PRUK are delighted to share Nina Barnett’s final report, following completion of her 2016 training bursary, which reviews a person-centred approach to pharmacy practice through a focus on using health coaching methods. Person-centred care views the people using health services as equal partners in planning, developing and monitoring care in order to it ensure it is coordinated and tailored to the needs of the individual. The approach supports patients to develop the requisite knowledge, skills and confidence they need to effectively manage and make informed decisions about their own health care.
Our Research Training Bursary Scheme supports pharmacists with experience in health services research who are interested in developing skills in conducting research relating to their practice. Nina’s bursary facilitated the development of her research skills through enabling her to undertake a research project as part of her PhD at Kingston University. This PRUK funded project formed the major part of her PhD.
The small-scale project assessed how Nina’s work as a pharmacist in care of older people in secondary care from 1997 to 2017 has analysed and influenced national policy and professional guidance in developing person-centred care in pharmacy practice. The findings from the project affirm that person-centred care is at the heart of safe and effective pharmacy practice and that learning from the multidisciplinary approach to care of older people and the wider health community, pharmacy practice has evolved towards a more person-centred approach. It also finds that the management of people at risk of preventable medicines-related hospital readmission, including the use of a coaching approach to consultations, can support reduction in readmission.
Nina said: “I was delighted to receive a bursary from PRUK in support of my PhD at Kingston University. Having begun my career as a pharmacist in care of older people in secondary care, I was privileged to work in a multidisciplinary team where I witnessed person-centred care as a part of everyday practice. I have worked to translate this into pharmacy practice, encouraging pharmacy practitioners to ask people about what they want to know about medicines and involve them in the decisions around their treatment. This project will improve our knowledge around the use of person-centred pharmacy consultations and explore how this contributes to medicines optimisation.”
The 2018 PRUK Awards and Bursaries round is now open for applications and further information can be found here.
For more information please contact PRUK at practice.research@rpharms.com
See Nina’s final report
Notes to Editors
- PRUK is the principle funder of pharmacy research in the UK. Founded as a result of a merger in 2012 of two previous research funding charities, PRUK has a broad programme of research in place. PRUK funds both research projects and individual bursaries to improve skills across the pharmacy sector. Registered charity number 1148335.
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