Pharmacy of your choice scheme : preparing to implement change and innovation through a pilot study in a cohort of community pharmacies

Abstract

The preparations for the implementation of the Pilot study of the POYC Scheme are moving at a fast pace and are already giving early indications of positive uptake by the patients and community pharmacists. These preparations are focused at the public and pharmacy level, consisting primarily of patient registration, and at the organizational level, through the Standing Advisory Committee (SAC) to establish the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) supported systems and practices. Preparations are also underway to establish the intermediary dedicated store together with the logistics, to ensure timely supply of medicinal needs to the individual pharmacies according to accepted standards. Important meetings have been held at the Professional Centre, the seat of the Malta Chamber of Pharmacists, for all pharmacists in the POYC and specifically for pharmacists and owners respectively. All meetings were addressed by the SAC chairman and members, who also answered questions and explained further plans for the pilot study and subsequent national implementation. Following the initiation of the patient registration, there was also healthy interchange, between the implementers and the planners resulting in cross fertilization of ideas and proposals based on the pharmacists' own experiences. All of this is expected to contribute to the effective implementation of the POYC pilot study and eventually, the scheme at national level.