General Practice based research pharmacist (MIDAS trial)
Pharmacist Wanted (Short Term)
14/02/2025
Posted by: Paul Ryan
- Locations: Cavan
Job title: General Practice based research pharmacist (MIDAS trial)
Study: Medicines and Social Prescribing to aDdress pAtient priorities in multimorbidity (MIDAS): A multi-arm definitive cluster randomised trial in Irish general practice
Location: General Practice based (location to be discussed with pharmacists based on participating practices)
Salary: Sessional payments (€90 per session, plus 8% holiday pay and employer PRSI)
Hours: Minimum of half day per week, and up to full-time.
Duration: 6-12 months
Reporting to: Professor Susan Smith (Principal Investigator) and Dr Farah Tahsin (Trial Manager)
Project website: primarycaretrials.ie/midas-2/
Background
Prescribing of medication is one of the most common interventions in primary care. The use of medications increases with advancing age, with approximately 5% of people aged over 65 years in Ireland being prescribed 15 or more repeat medicines. Prescribing for older people in the context of polypharmacy can be a complex and challenging task for GPs, with the potential for adverse outcomes for patients including drug-drug interactions, adverse drug events (ADEs) and potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP). The MIDAS study is a cluster randomised controlled trial funded by the Health Research Board and is a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the University of Galway, the Health Research Board (HRB) Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland, and the Irish College of General Practitioners.
The role
The pharmacists’ role will include targeted medicines reviews with MIDAS patients (both chart-based and face-to-face with patients) and supporting medicines management more generally in the practice. The MIDAS study is based on a robust intervention design and evaluation that led to the MultimorbiditY COllaborative Medication Review And DEcision Making (MyComrade) intervention arm, one of the three arms of the MIDAS cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT). Specifically, the duties will include:
Responsibilities
• Delivery of MIDAS MyComrade intervention
• Medicines reviews with 14 recruited MIDAS patients per practice
• Support with day-to-day medicines management in recruited GP practices, including a range of activities that will be agreed at practice level but will likely include elements of the following tasks:
o Targeted medication reviews
o Delivery of practice based training
• Data collection at practice level
• Other such duties as may be assigned from time to time
Selection criteria
The successful candidate will be expected to have the following:
Essential:
• Registered, or ability to register, as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
• A minimum of two years’ post-qualification experience in pharmacy practice
• Flexibility with practices regarding agreed hours of work, and ability to travel to practices
• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence‐based healthcare, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing applicable to primary care
Desirable:
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills
• Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Ability to influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers
• Attention to detail and thoroughness in work practices and an ability to work to deadlines
• A capacity to work collaboratively as part of a team as well as independently, in a non-structured environment
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
To apply please submit a one-page cover letter detailing your suitability for the role based on the outlined selection criteria and an up-to-date CV to Dr Paul Doody (Senior Researcher (Fellow), paul.doody@tcd.ie) by 5pm on Thursday 11th July. For further information or queries please feel free to get in contact on the email above.
Study: Medicines and Social Prescribing to aDdress pAtient priorities in multimorbidity (MIDAS): A multi-arm definitive cluster randomised trial in Irish general practice
Location: General Practice based (location to be discussed with pharmacists based on participating practices)
Salary: Sessional payments (€90 per session, plus 8% holiday pay and employer PRSI)
Hours: Minimum of half day per week, and up to full-time.
Duration: 6-12 months
Reporting to: Professor Susan Smith (Principal Investigator) and Dr Farah Tahsin (Trial Manager)
Project website: primarycaretrials.ie/midas-2/
Background
Prescribing of medication is one of the most common interventions in primary care. The use of medications increases with advancing age, with approximately 5% of people aged over 65 years in Ireland being prescribed 15 or more repeat medicines. Prescribing for older people in the context of polypharmacy can be a complex and challenging task for GPs, with the potential for adverse outcomes for patients including drug-drug interactions, adverse drug events (ADEs) and potentially inappropriate prescribing (PIP). The MIDAS study is a cluster randomised controlled trial funded by the Health Research Board and is a collaboration between Trinity College Dublin (TCD), the University of Galway, the Health Research Board (HRB) Primary Care Clinical Trials Network Ireland, and the Irish College of General Practitioners.
The role
The pharmacists’ role will include targeted medicines reviews with MIDAS patients (both chart-based and face-to-face with patients) and supporting medicines management more generally in the practice. The MIDAS study is based on a robust intervention design and evaluation that led to the MultimorbiditY COllaborative Medication Review And DEcision Making (MyComrade) intervention arm, one of the three arms of the MIDAS cluster randomised controlled trial (cRCT). Specifically, the duties will include:
Responsibilities
• Delivery of MIDAS MyComrade intervention
• Medicines reviews with 14 recruited MIDAS patients per practice
• Support with day-to-day medicines management in recruited GP practices, including a range of activities that will be agreed at practice level but will likely include elements of the following tasks:
o Targeted medication reviews
o Delivery of practice based training
• Data collection at practice level
• Other such duties as may be assigned from time to time
Selection criteria
The successful candidate will be expected to have the following:
Essential:
• Registered, or ability to register, as a pharmacist with the Pharmaceutical Society of Ireland
• A minimum of two years’ post-qualification experience in pharmacy practice
• Flexibility with practices regarding agreed hours of work, and ability to travel to practices
• In depth therapeutic and clinical knowledge and understanding of the principles of evidence‐based healthcare, concepts of rational prescribing and strategies for improving prescribing applicable to primary care
Desirable:
• Excellent interpersonal, communication, and presentation skills
• Ability to plan, manage, monitor, advise and review general medicine optimisation issues in core areas for long term conditions
• Ability to influence/motivate/persuade the audience to comply with the recommendations/agreed course of action where there may be significant barriers
• Attention to detail and thoroughness in work practices and an ability to work to deadlines
• A capacity to work collaboratively as part of a team as well as independently, in a non-structured environment
• Demonstrates accountability for delivering professional expertise and direct service provision
To apply please submit a one-page cover letter detailing your suitability for the role based on the outlined selection criteria and an up-to-date CV to Dr Paul Doody (Senior Researcher (Fellow), paul.doody@tcd.ie) by 5pm on Thursday 11th July. For further information or queries please feel free to get in contact on the email above.