title: Prescribing by pharmacists in Alberta and its relation to culture and personality traits.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  As evidence for the efficacy of pharmacists' interventions, governments worldwide are developing legislation to formalize new practice approaches, including independent prescribing by pharmacists. Pharmacists in Alberta became the first in Canada availed of this opportunity; however, uptake of such has been slow. One approach to understanding this problem is through an examination of pharmacists who have already gained this ability.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  The primary objective of this study was to gain descriptive insight into the culture and personality traits of innovator, and early adopter, Alberta pharmacists with Additional Prescribing Authorization using the Organizational Culture Profile and Big Five Inventory.
  
  
  METHODS
  The study was a cross-sectional online survey of Alberta pharmacists who obtained Additional Prescribing Authorization (independent prescribing authority), in the fall of 2012. The survey contained three sections; the first contained basic demographic, background and practice questions; the second section contained the Organizational Culture Profile; and the third section contained the Big Five Inventory.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Sixty-five survey instruments were returned, for a response rate of 39%. Respondents' mean age was 40 (SD 10) years. The top reason cited by respondents for applying for prescribing authority was to improve patient care. The majority of respondents perceived greater value in the cultural factors of competitiveness, social responsibility, supportiveness, performance orientation and stability, and may be more likely to exhibit behavior in line with the personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness. Inferential statistical analysis revealed a significant linear relationship between Organizational Culture Profile responses to cultural factors of social responsibility and competitiveness and the number of prescription adaptations provided.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This insight into the experiences of innovators and early adopter pharmacist prescribers can be used to develop more specific and targeted knowledge implementation studies to improve the uptake and integration of prescribing by pharmacists.
authors.affiliation: EPICORE Centre/COMPRIS, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Electronic address: meagen.rosenthal@ualberta.ca.
authors.forename: Meagen M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Rosenthal
authors.affiliation: School of Pharmacy, University of Waterloo, Kitchner-Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.
authors.forename: Sherilyn K D
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Houle
authors.affiliation: Alberta College of Pharmacists, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Greg
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Eberhart
authors.affiliation: EPICORE Centre/COMPRIS, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.
authors.forename: Ross T
authors.initials: RT
authors.lastname: Tsuyuki
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000416:Alberta; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015279:Organizational Culture; D010551:Personality; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services / Q000639:trends; D010595:Pharmacists; D024382:Professional Role; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Culture; Early adopters; Personality; Pharmacist prescribing