Hospital pharmacists migrate to primary care
Pharmacists who work exclusively in primary care are more likely to have come from the hospital than the community sector, a paper in this month's International Journal of Pharmacy Practice reveals (2005;13:281).
Rachel Mullen, research associate at Central Liverpool Primary Care Trust,
and colleagues carried out a survey of primary care pharmacists in England
in 2001.
Of 432 pharmacists, 52 per cent worked only in primary care and had migrated
largely from the hospital sector (28 per cent from hospital, 19 per cent
from community and 5.3 per cent from other sectors). Almost half (48
per cent) worked in other sectors, mainly community, alongside their
primary care post (31.5 per cent in community, 9.3 per cent in hospital
and 6.9 per cent in other sectors). The most common reason for leaving
hospital pharmacy was to increase autonomy and responsibility. Community
pharmacists moved to make better use of their knowledge and do more interesting
work.
The researchers suggest that concerns about the impact of primary care
on hospital, rather than community, pharmacy are warranted. They point
out that around three-and-a-half times more pharmacists work in community
pharmacy than hospital pharmacy, so it is likely that the community sector
will be able to absorb losses more easily.
“It is important to continue to monitor the migratory and practice
patterns of primary care pharmacists to help inform whether the primary
care employment
sector is continuing to draw pharmacists mainly from the hospital sector,” they
conclude.
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