Background: The Acute Care Assessment Tool (ACAT) was initially designed to evaluate the performance of medical trainees in acute care settings. This article explores the potential of ACAT beyond its original scope, focusing on its successful adaptation and pilot implementation within pharmacy, specifically for foundation and senior hospital pharmacists. This highlights the versatility of the Acat Acute Care Assessment Tool across different healthcare professions.
Context: The Need for Practice-Based Assessment in Pharmacy
The pharmacy profession is increasingly emphasizing robust foundation training programs, mirroring those in medicine. Pharmacists are now pursuing post-foundation pathways toward advanced generalist or specialist roles, necessitating rigorous assessment methods. While workplace-based assessments (WPBAs) like mini-clinical evaluation exercises (mini-CEX) and case-based discussions (CbD) are familiar tools in pharmacist training, they often provide only a snapshot of performance. A significant need was identified for an assessment method that could evaluate practice over a more extended period, offering a more holistic view of a pharmacist’s capabilities. The ACAT acute care assessment tool emerged as a promising solution to address this gap, suggested by a director of medical education familiar with its use in medicine.
Innovation: Adapting ACAT for Pharmacy – The Pharmacy ACAT
Recognizing the potential of ACAT to fulfill this need, permission was obtained from the Joint Royal Colleges of Physicians to adapt the original tool for pharmacy practice, creating the ‘Pharmacy ACAT’. This adaptation was carefully tailored to the pharmacy context, drawing upon the Royal Pharmaceutical Society competency frameworks relevant to both foundation and post-foundation practice. The Pharmacy ACAT was then piloted across three acute hospitals (‘Trusts’) in London, involving foundation trainees. The pilot results were encouraging. Foundation pharmacy trainees generally found the Pharmacy ACAT acceptable in terms of time commitment and highly valuable for the feedback it provided. Senior pharmacists at one pilot site expressed more reservations, suggesting areas for further refinement and investigation in future implementations of the acat acute care assessment tool.
Implications: Routine Use and Future Potential of the Pharmacy ACAT
The successful pilot of the Pharmacy ACAT suggests its valuable role in pharmacy foundation training within both hospital and community settings. It effectively addresses a critical gap in the current WPBA framework by enabling the assessment of practice over a defined period, moving beyond snapshot evaluations. This more comprehensive approach offered by the acat acute care assessment tool provides a richer understanding of trainee development. Furthermore, the potential applications of the Pharmacy ACAT extend beyond foundation training. It could be effectively utilized at the undergraduate level to introduce students to workplace-based assessment methodologies and to evaluate developing clinical skills. The Pharmacy ACAT represents a significant step forward in enhancing the assessment of pharmacists and ensuring high standards of practice across different stages of their professional development, demonstrating the broad applicability of the acat acute care assessment tool concept.
