Pharmacy executives: leadership issues and associated skills, knowledge, and abilities in the U.S. Department of Defense.
OBJECTIVE
To identify the issues or problems that current and aspiring U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) pharmacy executives will face in the future and to define the skills, knowledge, and abilities (SKAs) required to successfully address these issues.


METHODS
Delphi method for executive decision making.


METHODS
DoD.


METHODS
Ninety-three pharmacists serving in the military grades of lieutenant colonel/commander and colonel/captain, as well as pharmacists selected for promotion to those grades.


METHODS
iterations of the Delphi method for executive decision making separated by an expert panel content analysis.


METHODS
Round 1--participants identified five major issues believed to be of greatest importance to pharmacy executives and reported specific SKAs that might be needed to successfully manage those issues. An expert panel sorted these issues into meaningful domains, then provided an appropriate title for each domain. Round 2--on a 7-point scale, respondents rated the SKA items according to their assessment of how much a future DoD pharmacy executive would need each SKA.


RESULTS
Response rates were 44.1% and 46.2% for Delphi rounds 1 and 2, respectively. The first round generated 62 unique issues facing pharmacy executives. The expert panel reviewed and sorted the issues into eight domains and selected an appropriate title for each domain. The domains identified by the panel were human resources, pharmacy operations/business practices, information management and technology, financial resources, formulary management, drug therapy management, pharmacy benefit management, and leadership. During round 2, 73.3% of the top 15 rated SKAs came from the drug therapy management, leadership, and formulary management domains. The three highest-rated SKAs were "ability to see the big picture," "ability to build strong relations with medical staffs," and "skills in both writing and verbal communication."


CONCLUSIONS
The issues facing future DoD pharmacy executives will require them to expand their clinical abilities as well as their ability to collaborate and communicate with other professionals.
Meadows
Andrew B
AB
Hill Air Force Base, Utah 84056, USA. andrew.meadows@hill.af.mil
Finstuen
Kenn
K
Hudak
Ronald P
RP
D003625:Data Collection; D003657:Decision Making; D004517:Education, Professional; D005260:Female; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D007857:Leadership; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008889:Military Personnel; D010604:Pharmacy / Q000458:organization & administration*; D037041:United States Government Agencies