Pharmacy point-of-care testing expands

An innovative project from the UNMC College of Pharmacy on the evolving role of community pharmacists in patient-centered health care continues to expand its national influence.

The National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) recently announced a second annual national tour to train pharmacists to train their colleagues in administering point-of-care testing at community pharmacies.

Pharmacists administering these tests means someone worried about having flu or strep, for example, could simply walk into their neighborhood community pharmacy, get tested, and if positive, fill a prescription, all in one stop.

The tour’s graduates — and those they, in turn, go on to train — will be accredited in a certification program developed by faculty at UNMC and its collaborator, Ferris (Mich.) State University. Patients could then visit certified community pharmacists for rapid, point-of-care tests for flu, strep throat or other acute and chronic conditions. If needed, pharmacists then can fill prescriptions to treat identified illnesses, under strict protocol set by prescribing physicians.

In a few short years, it’s gone from an idea at UNMC to a national movement.

“I have been overwhelmed by the response to this program,” said the initial study’s principal investigator, Donald Klepser, Ph.D., associate professor of pharmacy practice.

“Last year we trained faculty members from over half — more than 70 — of the pharmacy schools in the U.S., and this year we will get into some new areas of the country. I think it speaks to the desire and readiness of pharmacists across the country to be a part of a patient-centered care team.”

This year’s NACDS certification training tour stops at colleges of pharmacy at:

• University of North Texas
• University of Wisconsin, Madison
• University of Tennessee Health Science Center
• University of California, San Francisco
• University of South Florida

More sites will likely be added. The train-the-trainer nature of the tour is designed to expand this knowledge “exponentially” within the pharmacy community, according to the NACDS.

The end goal is to improve patients’ access to quality and efficient care, said NACDS president and chief executive officer Steve Anderson. “This program is a tribute to what can be accomplished through effective coordination of care.”

The point-of-care program is not intended to replace physician services, and customers may still need to visit their family health care providers.

The UNMC-Ferris State work has been funded in part by a grant from the National Association of Chain Drug Stores Foundation.