The first session of the #WhyWeDoResearch Tweetfest 2017, curated by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society (RPS), Pharmacy Research UK (PRUK) and WePharmacists, discussed “Research and evidence in pharmacy: engaging to improve patient care”.
Pharmacists from across the sectors responded to questions including, from Pharmacy Research UK, “What examples are there of pharmacy research, evidence and evaluation improving care and practice?” and “What support is there to develop your research & evaluation skills in pharmacy?”
Responding to the first question, Mahendra Patel, Fellow of the RPS and English Pharmacy Board member, suggested the Refer to Pharmacy system, which ensures hospital patients in East Lancashire receive continuity of pharmaceutical care upon discharge:
@WePharmacists Great example in E Lancs by @ReferToPharmacy showing work integrating with hospitals and community pharmacy #whywedoresearch
— Dr Mahendra G Patel (@drmahendrapatel) 15 May 2017
Marianna Liaskou, research manager from the RPS professional development and support department, offered the RPS’s research advice surgeries as an example of the research support available:
Attending a Research Advice Surgery was an eye opener for a research newbie like me! Look here https://t.co/9gGdSJagtr
#whywedoresearch
https://t.co/zddLyDWHBH— Marianna Liaskou (@MLReth) 15 May 2017
Marissa A Mes, a PhD student at University College London’s Centre for Behavioural Medicine, said that pharmacist-led research brings better continuity of care for NHS patients:
#WhyWeDoResearch to develop pharmacist-led services that patients view as valuable, improving continuity of care for patients in the NHS
— Marissa A. Mes (@marissames1) 15 May 2017
Whilst Mags Johnston, a health services researcher and pharmacist, argued that improving patient outcomes means obtaining new evidence, rather than relying on the “status quo”:
I undertake research because acceping the status quo is not an option:we need evidence to inform & improve patient outcome #whywedoresearch
— Mags Watson (@MagsWatson1) 15 May 2017
Matthew Johnston, museum documentation assistant at the RPS, reminded contributors that research in pharmacy is part of a long tradition:
#RPSMuseum currently researching historic medicines, analysing contents to see if and how they worked! #whywedoresearch
#histpharm— Matthew Johnston (@MatthewJ_UK) 15 May 2017
Pharmacy has #research pedigree & has always led the way. #histpharm so important & is the basis of the profession #whywedoresearch
https://t.co/if23TgOQIj— Pharmacy Research UK (@PharmResUK) 15 May 2017
Tweetfest began in 2016, and aims to “celebrate healthcare research across the globe [and] to give patients, public and staff a vehicle to say why they do what they do.” This year’s Tweetfest features 30 tweetchats over a two-week schedule, ending on 26 May 2017. Tweets posted as part of the pharmacy research chat have been collated, and may be viewed here: http://www.wecommunities.org/tweet-chats/chat-details/2996