(014) Experiences and perceptions of patients and healthcare professionals with advanced practice partnership agreements between Family Medicine Group pharmacists and healthcare professionals

Background: Since 2015, pharmacists in the province of Quebec, Canada, have been practicing in primary care teams called Family Medicine Groups (FMG) in increasing numbers. Legal changes (Bill 31) adopted in 2020 broaden pharmacists’ scope of practice. Among new activities authorized, pharmacists working in FMGs can prescribe medications independently if they have an advanced practice partnership agreement with one or more physicians (MDs) or nurse practitioners (NPs) of this team.

Objectives: The main objective of this study was to evaluate patients’ experience with this new advanced practice of FMG pharmacists. We also aimed to explore other FMG healthcare professionals' perceptions of advanced practice partnership agreements.

Methods: We recruited patients from six FMGs having an advanced practice partnership agreement with their pharmacist. Patients were asked to fill out an online survey exploring their perceptions of care accessibility and the advantages of this new practice. It also explored their trust in FMG pharmacists’ independent prescribing and satisfaction with this service. All MDs, NPs, and nurses from the participating FMGs were also solicited for a cross-sectional online survey exploring the acceptability of the advanced practice partnership agreement and the advantages and barriers to its implementation. Collaboration between pharmacists and their FMG team was also questioned.

Results: A total of 80 patients and 70 FMG professionals completed the survey. Most patients reported they trusted their FMG pharmacist to prescribe medications; 77% trusted them as much as their MD and 19% felt more confident with FMG pharmacist prescriptions. Only one person felt less confident about FMG pharmacist prescribing, and two had no opinion. Most patients (81%) reported having faster access to the FMG for their medication-related needs since the implementation of the advanced practice partnership agreement, increasing their satisfaction. Most MDs, NPs and nurses (94%) felt comfortable or very comfortable with the independent initiation of new medications by FMG pharmacists. Half of the respondents noted spending less time validating FMG pharmacists’ suggestions or following up on therapy adjustments for their patients and having more time to devote to tasks for which their expertise is essential.

Conclusions: Implementation of an advanced practice partnership agreement allowing FMG pharmacists independent prescribing was well accepted by both patients and healthcare professionals. Results suggest this partnership can increase the fluidity of care and services while freeing up time for other professionals to carry out tasks requiring their unique expertise.