Pharmacy Continence Care - Bladder and Bowel Website

Two instruments are widely used for the measurement of consumer-reported incontinence
and continence experience and impacts (social, physical and financial). The more extensive
instrument, the Dowell Bryant Incontinence Cost Index (DBICI), was not considered suitable
to administer, given time and cost limitations for the PCCP, as it is an extensive economic
questionnaire that has been designed to be administered by nurse continence advisers. The
Incontinence Impact Questionnaire (IIQ), which has been internationally and locally
validated and which has both a long and short form, was determined, in consultation with
the NOVA Expert Panel, to be the preferred instrument to measure changes in reported
health and wellbeing outcomes for people with or at risk of incontinence. The project team
used the IIQ question format to include assessment of carer perceptions of the social,
physical and financial impacts for them of the incontinence of the person receiving care.
To evaluate pharmacy benefits:
• NOVA team members designed structured interview schedules for telephone
administration with nominated personnel in each participating pharmacy. The first
interview schedule, the Pharmacy Intake Questionnaire – PIQ, was administered by
telephone at the inception of the Program, before the training provided in each
pharmacy, and the second interview schedule, the Pharmacy Exit Questionnaire – PEQ,
was administered by telephone at the conclusion of the pilot Program trial period in each
pharmacy.
• The administration of the training program was evaluated through completion by
participating pharmacies of a self-administered questionnaire providing feedback on the
training experience and outcomes. To promote return of these questionnaires,
participating pharmacies were offered an incentive payment of $350, on receipt of the
returned questionnaire, to defray costs to the pharmacy of participation in the training.
To evaluate consumer benefits:
• The training program and resources provided each participating pharmacy with
information and guidance in identifying, by both observation and by medication
dispensed, customers who potentially could be at risk of, or are not coping with,
incontinence. Pharmacy staff were provided with information and advice through the
training program on approaching customers and offering continence information.
Through the training and the follow-up support by the project team, pharmacy staff were
also encouraged to recruit customers who had responded to the continence care service
to complete a research questionnaire whilst they were in the pharmacy.
• Market research firm Ipsos Australia Pty Ltd was sub-contracted by NOVA Public Policy to
undertake the consumer survey component of the project. NOVA and IPSOS developed a
baseline survey questionnaire for completion in-pharmacy by customers with whom a
pharmacy staff member had discussed incontinence (the intervention). The consumer
baseline study was designed to establish consumers' awareness of continence
management, their experience of the social, financial and physical impact of
incontinence, using the IIQ, and their past or present use of other health services for
incontinence. To measure benefit, the questionnaire was adjusted to be administered
post-intervention to respondents who consented to follow-up, at three months after the
baseline questionnaire, through computer assisted telephone interview (CATI).
Element 5 – Develop Draft Standards
The project team was to develop standards for potential incorporation into the QCPP
program. The project results made clear, however, that the development of separate
standards was neither appropriate nor desirable for the project. Consequently, an alternative
Final Report
9
NOVA Public Policy
Pharmacy Continence Care Project