How are pharmacists in Ontario adapting to practice change? Results of a qualitative analysis using Kotter’s change management model

• Published in: Canadian pharmacists journal Vol. 150; no. 3; pp. 198 - 205
• Main Authors: Teixeira, Beatriz, Gregory, Paul A. M., Austin, Zubin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Los Angeles, CA SAGE Publications 01-05-2017; SAGE PUBLICATIONS, INC
• Subjects: Chief executive officers; Corporate presidents; Data analysis; Data collection; Drug stores; Leadership; Professions; Qualitative research; Regulatory reform; Research and Clinical; Studies
• ISSN: 1715-1635; 1913-701X
• DOI: 10.1177/1715163517701470

Background:
The pace of practice change in community pharmacy over the past decade has been significant, yet there is little evidence documenting implementation of change in the profession.
Methods:
Kotter’s change management model was selected as a theoretical framework for this exploratory qualitative study. Community pharmacists were interviewed using a semistructured protocol based on Kotter’s model. Data were analyzed and coded using a constant-comparative iterative method aligned with the stages of change management outlined by Kotter.
Results:
Twelve community pharmacists were interviewed. Three key themes emerged: 1) the profession has successfully established the urgency to, and created a climate conducive for, change; 2) the profession has been less successful in engaging and enabling the profession to actually implement change; and 3) legislative changes (for example, expansion of pharmacists’ scope of practice) may have occurred prematurely, prior to other earlier stages of the change process being consolidated.
Interpretation:
As noted by most participants, allowing change is not implementing change: pharmacists reported feeling underprepared and lacking confidence to actually make change in their practices and believe that more emphasis on practical, specific implementation tactics is needed.
Conclusions:
Change management is complex and time and resource intensive. There is a need to provide personalized, detailed, context-specific implementation strategies to pharmacists to allow them to take full advantage of expanded scope of practice.