Professionalism: A Competency Cluster Whose Time Has Come

Assessment of Professionalism in Pharmacists and Pharmacy Students: Scoping Review of Instruments and Validity Evidence

OBJECTIVE

To characterize which instruments have been developed to assess professionalism in the field of pharmacy.

FINDINGS

A scoping review was conducted to answer which instruments have been developed to assess professionalism in the field of Pharmacy. The databases consulted were EMBASE, ERIC, PUBMED/Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science. No restrictions on language or year of publication were made. Only studies about development or translation of instruments for professionalism assessment were included. The methodological quality of studies was verified by the Questionnaire Cross-Cultural Adaptation Guideline and the COnsensus-based Standards for the selection of health Measurement INstruments. Seven studies met the eligibility criteria and were included in this scoping review. In general, the instruments were developed from ideological elements assigned to professionalism by pharmaceutical and medical entities, in addition to theoretical references that came from social sciences. Regarding the evaluation of validation and psychometric property evidence, the studies generally adopted distinct procedures which highlights some destandardization, although the methodological quality was accepted.

SUMMARY

More studies on the professionalism field should be conducted to characterize professionalism and develop pharmaceutical practices in line with societal demands and expectations.

Professional development of sport psychology practitioners: From systematic review to a model of development

A clear model of professional development (PD) has the potential to enhance educational and training programs and promote effective, competent, and ethical practice. Scholars have explored facets of the PD of sport psychology practitioners (SPPs) using theoretical frameworks borrowed from counseling psychology. Yet, given the emergence of a sport-specific body of work on this topic, it appears timely to take stock of existing context-specific knowledge. In the present study, we aimed to systematically review the extant literature focused on SPP's PD to identify specific characteristics and organize this knowledge in an accessible and structured manner in the form of a process model of PD. Following the PRISMA guidelines, we identified 1147 research records in the databases SportDiscuss, PsychArticles, PsychInfo, ProQuest, and PubMed. We subsequently screened and assessed the records for eligibility (i.e., empirical studies published in English that focus on developmental characteristics of SPPs, including a clear developmental stage) reducing the sample of articles that fitted our inclusion criteria to 34 qualitative manuscripts. Finally, we critically explored these manuscripts by engaging in a reflexive thematic analysis and created four developmental phases (i.e., introduction, exploration, solidification, and fulfillment). SPPs' transition through these phases is seemingly facilitated by four processes (i.e., reflection, supervision, connections and networking with peers, and learning by doing), which also support the completion of the tasks associated with nine developmental elements (i.e., purpose, confidence and anxiety, focus, awareness, adaptability, independence, philosophy/congruence, professional identity, and the individual). We present the interaction of these developmental phases, elements, and processes in the form of a sport psychology-specific process model of PD. We discuss the implications of this model and its potential contribution to future research, supervision, and training programs. Yet, we also acknowledge how a focus on Anglophone and Western cultural contexts and a lack of methodological transparency are limitations of the extant literature.

Behaviours that contribute to pharmacist professionalism: a scoping review

OBJECTIVES

Clearly understanding and describing professional behaviours of pharmacists allows the profession, researchers and policy-makers to observe and monitor the professionalism of pharmacists, and design interventions to improve it where needed. The primary objective of this review was to identify which behaviours are discussed to contribute to professionalism in registered pharmacists in peer-reviewed literature. The secondary objective was to review the identified behaviours using a behavioural specification framework to understand how they are expressed.

DESIGN

A scoping literature review was conducted.

DATA SOURCES

An electronic database search of Scopus, Embase, PsycINFO, PsychArticles, Emcare and Medline limited to articles published in English from 1 January 2000 to 21 October 2022 was conducted.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

Eligible articles contributed behaviourally relevant content with reference to registered pharmacists' professionalism.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Extracted behaviourally relevant content was subject to researcher's familiarisation, then deductive coding to one of two overarching definitions of technical or non-technical behaviour. Data were then inductively coded through assignment of a descriptive code to identify categories of professional behaviour within these two overarching types of behaviour.

RESULTS

Seven articles were identified and included in the final analysis. From the extracted behaviourally relevant content, 18 categories of behaviours were identified. All articles identified behaviours in categories titled 'establishes effective relationships' and 'complies with regulations codes and operating procedures'. Identified behaviours were often broadly described and merged with descriptions of influences on them and broader outcomes that they contribute to.

CONCLUSIONS

Behaviours described to contribute to pharmacists' professionalism in the literature are broad and non-specific.

Workplace bullying and its impact on the quality of healthcare and patient safety

BACKGROUND

Workplace bullying (WPB) is a physical or emotional harm that may negatively affect healthcare services. The aim of this study was to determine to what extent healthcare practitioners in Saudi Arabia worry about WPB and whether it affects the quality of care and patient safety from their perception.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2018. An online survey was distributed among all practitioners at a multi-regional healthcare facility. A previously validated tool was sourced from an integrative literature review by Houck and Colbert. Responses to 15 themes were rated on a 5-point Likert scale, converted to percentage mean scores (PMS) and compared across participants' characteristics using bivariate and regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 1074/1350 (79.5%) completed the questionnaire. The overall median [interquartile range] score of worrying about WPB was 81.7 [35.0]. Participants were mainly worried about the effect of WPB on their stress, work performance, and communication between staff members. A significant negative relationship developed between the quality of care and worrying about WPB, P < 0.001. More educated practitioners were 1.7 times more likely to be worried about WPB compared with their counter group, adj.P = 0.034. Junior practitioners were 1.6 times more likely to be worried about WPB, adj.P = 0.017. The group who has not been trained in handling WPB (1.7 times), and those who had been exposed to WPB (2.2 times) were both more likely to be worried about WPB compared with their counter groups, adj.P = 0.026 and adj.P < 0.001 respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

Most healthcare practitioners worry about WPB, especially its negative impact on the quality of care and patient safety. A greater proportion of practitioners with higher levels of education and their less experienced counterparts were more worried about WPB. Previous exposure to a WPB incident amplifies the practitioners' worry, but being trained on how to counteract bullying incidents makes them less likely to be worried.