RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Narrative Reports to Monitor and Evaluate the Integration of Pharmacists Into Family Practice Settings
JF The Annals of Family Medicine
JO Ann Fam Med
FD American Academy of Family Physicians
SP 161
OP 165
DO 10.1370/afm.815
VO 6
IS 2
A1 Pottie, Kevin
A1 Haydt, Susan
A1 Farrell, Barbara
A1 Dolovich, Lisa
A1 Sellors, Connie
A1 Hogg, William
YR 2008
UL http://www.annfammed.org/content/6/2/161.abstract
AB PURPOSE Narratives can capture unfolding events and negotiation of roles and thus can help to evaluate interventions in interdisciplinary health care teams. We describe a practical qualitative method, the narrative report, and its role in evaluating implementation research. METHODS We used narrative reports as a means to evaluate an intervention to integrate pharmacists into group family practices. The pharmacists submitted 63 written narrative reports during a 1-year period. Our interdisciplinary research team analyzed these reports to monitor the progress of the implementation, to identify pharmacists’ needs, and to capture elements of the integration process. RESULTS The monthly narrative reports allowed the research team to document early learning and calibrate the program in terms of clinical support, adapting roles, and realigning expectations. The reports helped the research team stay in tune with practice-related implementation challenges, and the preliminary summary of narrative findings provided a forum for sharing innovations among the integrating pharmacists. CONCLUSION The narrative report can be a successful qualitative tool to track and evaluate the early stages of an intervention in the context of evolving primary health care teams.