Implementation and evaluation of an interprofessional physical assessment skills workshop for Wisconsin pharmacists

Background: Pharmacists have a critical, expanding role in health care delivery. In particular, pharmacists in community pharmacy and ambulatory care settings are important and frequent access points for health care services.

Objective: We describe the interprofessional development and implementation of an interactive, broadly applicable physical assessment skills-based continuing pharmacy education program to provide an avenue for the attainment of this warranted set of skills for pharmacists who desire to provide advanced patient care services in their respective practices.

Methods: Pharmacists, in collaboration with family medicine and emergency medicine physicians, developed workshop content, design, and flow. The structure of the workshops consisted of didactic training, hands-on practical application, simulated practice, and case-based certification examinations.

Results: On a postworkshop survey, all respondents answered "agree" or "strongly agree" when asked if the workshops were useful, advanced their skills, and advanced their confidence. It was also found that more than 50% of the participants used their physical assessment skills monthly and 11% daily. The most common assessment performed was obtaining an accurate manual blood pressure.

Conclusion: The interprofessional development and implementation of workshops dedicated to physical assessment skills education is feasible and led to the incorporation of these skills into pharmacists' practice, particularly in the community and ambulatory care settings.