Strategies and steps fostering the success of medication management services in community pharmacies

Objectives To identify and describe the steps and strategies that community pharmacies with established medication management services have used to integrate medication management services into their practice settings. Design Qualitative case study with semistructured interviews and focus groups. Setting Community pharmacy organizations in Minnesota. Participants Pharmacists and pharmacy leadership from 4 different pharmacy organizations including independent, chain, and health system pharmacies. Intervention Not applicable. Main outcome measures Qualitative case study analysis of community pharmacy management and pharmacists’ perceptions of the factors that led to the establishment and sustainability of their medication management programs. Results Focus groups and interviews were undertaken with 25 pharmacists and pharmacy leaders from 4 distinct community pharmacy organizations from April to June 2015. Five themes emerged, representing specific implementation and continuation stages of medication management services in community practice: Deciding to Act, Setting the Stage, Executing the Service, Sticking to It, and Continuing to Grow. Conclusion This study sheds light on key stages that have commonly occurred across community pharmacies that are delivering medication management services. The results of this work may serve as a road map for other community pharmacies looking to integrate medication management services into their own practice settings.