How direct healthcare professional communications are operationalised by general practitioners and community pharmacists in Ireland: a national cross sectional study

INTRODUCTION: Direct Healthcare Professional Communications (DHPCs) alert healthcare professionals of important safety information relating to medication(s) and of the need to adapt practices with respect to these. International evidence suggests that their implementation varies in clinical practice. To date, few studies have examined implementation of DHPCs in primary care. AIM: To examine how general practitioners (GPs) and community pharmacists implement DHPCs in Ireland and their preferences for receiving medication safety updates. METHOD: A national cross-sectional survey of GPs and pharmacists in collaboration with the Irish Health Products Regulatory Authority (HPRA), was conducted in June 2024. GPs and CPs were invited to participate via national gatekeepers (Irish College of GPs, Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland). Following piloting, the questionnaire were administered via email using Qualtrics. Data was analysed using R and R Studio. RESULTS: A total of 277 GPs and 219 pharmacists completed the questionnaire, a response rate of 6% and 8% respectively. Most GPs (n = 227, 82%) and pharmacists (n = 196, 89%) reported DHPCs as their preferred source of medication safety updates. Practice protocols for sharing DPHCs once received differed across the two professional groups. For example, DHPCs were more likely to be disseminated and discussed at a pharmacy practice meeting (n = 64 pharmacists, 29%) compared with GP practice meetings (n = 24 GPs, 9%). More than one-third of GPs (n = 98, 35%) identified time constraints as the most important barrier to DHPC implementation, followed by absence of prescribing notifications on patient electronic health records (EHRs), n = 36 GPs (13%), n = 39 CPs (18%). A total of 257 GPs (93%) and 198 CPs (90%) identified patient EHR prescribing alerts, aligned with DHPC recommendations, integrated at the point of patient care as a preferred way to support implementation. CONCLUSION: Surveyed GPs and pharmacists use DHPCs as their primary information source for new medication safety alerts and most reported these communications as very useful. Repeated DHPC communications across different modalities were valued. Barriers to implementation included time constraints and lack of point of care alerts for both GPs and pharmacists. Remote clinical support is acceptable to GPs and pharmacists and may support the implementation of DHPC recommendations to optimise medication safety in primary care.