Evaluating pharmacist prescribing education programs: A realist approach

<p dir="ltr">Finalist - Visualise Your Thesis 2025 International Competition</p><h4>Transcript</h4><p dir="ltr">Picture it: it’s the year 2050. You’re unwell, but you can’t see a doctor, wait times stretch for weeks, especially outside major cities. It’s the direction we’re headed unless we rethink how healthcare is delivered.</p><p dir="ltr">One promising strategy is expanding how pharmacists support patient care. With their clinical training and accessibility, pharmacists are well positioned to help ease system pressures.</p><p dir="ltr">Australia is starting to allow pharmacist prescribing in limited settings. But to do this effectively, we must build the capacity through education.</p><p dir="ltr">My research focuses on how we educate pharmacists for this evolving role. I’m using novel realist approaches to understand what works in education, how does it work, in what circumstances and how that varies for different pharmacists. I’m speaking with those who design education programs and with pharmacists undertaking them, learning from countries like the UK, where pharmacists have been prescribing for over 20 years.</p><p dir="ltr">Pharmacist prescribing can boost access and efficiency, but only if we optimise education and build a workforce ready to deliver quality care for the future.</p>