Pharmacists' experiences and views on providing screening services: An international comparison

Background: The PHARMASCREEN study, adapted from the Australian Cardiovascular Absolute Risk Screening study (CARS), tested the first community pharmacist-delivered screening model for diabetes and cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the UAE. Both PHARMASCREEN and CARS screening models successfully identified at-risk individuals despite differences in healthcare systems, infrastructure, and scope of practice. Comparing pharmacists’ experiences of screening delivery in different health systems will help to understand key contextual factors that affect future implementation. Objective: To explore and compare the views and experiences of pharmacists participating in the UAE PHARMACSCREEN trial, with those of community pharmacists who participated in the Australian CARS trial. Methods: In-depth, face-to-face interviews were conducted with pharmacists who delivered the screening programs in Australia (n = 10) and UAE (n = 12) to explore their views and experiences. The interview guide was similar in both studies to ensure consistency and comparability of collected data. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and thematically analyzed. Results: Two common themes emerged: pharmacists’ experiences with the screening program, and barriers and facilitators to service delivery. Both groups held very positive views about the screening intervention, particularly referencing the professional satisfaction it generated and broad participant satisfaction with pharmacy-based screening. Despite country and health system differences, pharmacists reported many similar barriers (e.g., staffing levels, pharmacy coordination) and enablers (e.g., implementation support, adequate staffing, point–of-care tests, no cost to patient) to implementation. The context for screening delivery emerged as a key theme for UAE interviews only, where issues such as local population needs, regulatory factors, pharmacist roles and expectations, and training needs were quite prominent. Conclusions: Pharmacists’ positive experiences with the screening programs is a testimony to the strong emerging evidence supporting pharmacists-delivered screening. Despite differences in health care systems, similar enablers and barriers were identified. The adaptation and successful implementation of international screening models requires a country-specific adaptation process.