What is practice research and why is it essential to pharmacy practice?

Health services research (HSR) is concerned with the relationship between the provision, effectiveness and efficient use of health services and the health needs of the population.

Pharmacy practice research (PPR) is defined as attempting “to inform and understand pharmacy… the way in which it is practised… to support the objectives of pharmacy practice and ensure that pharmacists’ knowledge and skills are used to best effect in solving the problems of the health service and meeting the health needs of the population”.

This definition was published nearly 30 years ago by the Pharmacy Practice Research and Development Taskforce and still applies today.

What has changed, however, is that rather than the Taskforce’s suggestion that 10 per cent of pharmacists should be ‘research active’ and 1 per cent should be ‘researcher leaders’, we are trying to promote much greater involvement in research as a whole, particularly in the community pharmacy sector.

Not an ‘added extra’

There is often a misperception that research is an ‘added extra’ – something other people do that isn’t necessarily relevant or useful to pharmacy personnel in high pressured workplaces managing increasing patient demand amidst decreasing investment and reimbursement.

In 2024, NHS England undertook a survey to explore the involvement of pharmacy professionals (all sectors) in research: only a minority were found to be research active.

Research is an essential component of the pharmacy profession and we can all contribute in different ways. Without research, several of the services that currently feature in community pharmacy contractual frameworks across the UK would not be included.

Research was undertaken to generate evidence of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of many services (e.g. smoking cessation, EHC supply and consultations for newly prescribed medicines). These services are now part of everyday practice for community pharmacy teams.

Now, more than ever, research is needed to generate evidence to help inform health service delivery that is safe, effective, efficient and makes the most of the limited resources available.