Background: Patients are commonly invited to participate in patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) at locations such as hospitals, physician offices, and clinics. Those who do not readily access healthcare services in these settings may never have the opportunity to participate in PCOR. Community pharmacies are the most accessible healthcare locations in the nation. People frequent pharmacies for convenience items in addition to medications, creating opportunities for patient interaction. Pharmacies are within easy reach of a diverse population, making them ideal locations to engage patients in PCOR.

Proposed Solution to the Problem: Forming a community pharmacy practice-based research network (PBRN) in Pennsylvania will create an innovative way to facilitate patient access to and engagement in PCOR.

Objectives:

• Identify patient and pharmacist opinions on best practices for engagement in community pharmacy-based patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR)
• Assess community pharmacy and patient readiness and capacity to collaborate in PCOR
• Identify research priorities from community pharmacy partners and patients
• Assess communication needs and preferences of stakeholder partners to facilitate continued engagement in PCOR
• Develop a two- and five-year strategic plan for building a community pharmacy PBRN
• Develop a Community Pharmacy Research Engagement Kit for conducting PCOR with patients and pharmacist partners

The long-term goal is to create a sustainable community pharmacy PBRN that can effectively engage patients in PCOR.

Activities: The project team’s first step is to build a community of stakeholders interested in forming a community pharmacy PBRN in Pennsylvania. To accomplish this, the researchers will organize a team of stakeholders to form a stakeholder advisory board (SAB) and perform a “listening tour” of other stakeholders in the state. The project team will facilitate the SAB and conduct patient focus groups and community pharmacist interviews and surveys. The team will work with stakeholders and partners to develop a strategic plan for the development of a community pharmacy PBRN and a Community Pharmacy Research Engagement Kit.

Outcomes/Outputs (projected): The main outputs are data and knowledge from patient and pharmacist stakeholders gathered through focus groups, interviews, and surveys. This information will guide the formation of a strategic plan for the development of a community pharmacy PBRN in Pennsylvania. Additionally, a Community Pharmacy Research Engagement Kit for conducting PCOR will be developed and informed by patient and pharmacist partner stakeholders.

Patient and Stakeholder Engagement Plan: Community pharmacists and their patients are the primary stakeholders in this project and are engaged in each program objective. An SAB comprised of key patient and pharmacist partners will guide all activities, including development of the survey, interview, and focus group questions, and analysis and dissemination of the findings. The SAB members will represent urban, rural, and underserved communities.

Project Collaborators: Collaborators include the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Care Network and the Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association. These partners will support the project goals, including dissemination of project findings.