Effectiveness of a tailored training programme in behaviour change counselling for community pharmacists: A pilot study.
OBJECTIVE
To undertake a pilot study assessing effectiveness of a tailored training programme in behaviour change counselling (BCC) for community pharmacists on, their competence and confidence in delivering behaviour change consultations, skill retention over time and impact on practice.


METHODS
Community pharmacists (N=87) attending Primary Care Trust training were given study information and invited to take part. Baseline BCC competence of consenting pharmacists (n=17) was assessed using the Behaviour Change Counselling Index (BECCI). Following BCC training, competence was reassessed at 1, 3 and 6 months. Friedman's test was used to compare median BECCI item scores at baseline and after 6 months. Structured interviews were conducted to assess pharmacists' confidence in BCC consultations after training.


RESULTS
Baseline BECCI scores of 0-2 demonstrated pharmacists had not reached competence threshold. Six months after training, BECCI scores improved significantly from baseline (p<0.05). Competence in delivering BCC (scores of 3-4) was achieved at 3 months, but lost at 6 months for some items. After training, pharmacists felt confident in delivering BCC.


CONCLUSIONS
Training pharmacists enabled them to deliver BCC competently and confidently.


CONCLUSIONS
BCC aligns with pharmacist-patient consultations. It took 3 months to achieve competence. Ongoing support may be needed to maintain competence long-term.
Medway School of Pharmacy, Universities of Kent and Greenwich, Chatham Maritime ME4 4TB, UK. Electronic address: t.thomas@kent.ac.uk.
Trudy
T
Thomas
Endurance Research Group, University of Kent, Chatham Maritime ME4 4AG, UK.
Louis
L
Passfield
Centre for Health Service Studies, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NZ, UK.
Simon
S
Coulton
Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Gloucestershire, Oxstalls Campus, Oxstalls Lane, Gloucester GL2 9HW, UK.
Diane
D
Crone
D000328:Adult; D003157:Community Pharmacy Services; D003376:Counseling; D004513:Education, Pharmacy, Continuing / Q000379:methods*; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000379:methods; D006801:Humans; D062405:Motivational Interviewing; D010594:Pharmacies; D010595:Pharmacists; D010865:Pilot Projects; D024382:Professional Role; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D015397:Program Evaluation / Q000379:methods*
Behaviour change; Counselling; Pharmacists