A framework for assessing the continuous professional development needs of community pharmacists

This paper describes and evaluates a process by which the professional development needs of community pharmacists (CPs) were identified and recommendations made as to how they might be addressed. Twenty CPs were recruited onto the Continuing Professional Development (CPD) programme and asked to complete a reflective logbook over a four-week period. Day one of the programme involved participation in seven skills evaluation workstations, a focus group to explore their views about CPD and a one-to-one interview with a facilitator to review the reflective logbooks and individual perceived training needs. Day two involved the presentation of the results of pharmacists' performance in the skills workstations, followed by individual feedback to inform their personal development plans (PDPs). Fourteen pharmacists completed the CPD programme. Three key training needs were identified from the skills assessment workstations and six themes from the focus groups. Evaluation of the CPD programme indicated that it was highly rated and improved their understanding of the CPD process.