Evaluation of the Diabetes, Multidisciplinary, Experiential (DIAMANTE) Program for Retail Pharmacists: A Mixed-Method Study.

INTRODUCTION: The Diabetes, Multidisciplinary, Experiential (DIAMANTE) program was established to enhance collaboration between retail pharmacists and the diabetes care team in the health institutions through interprofessional education. This article describes the program and reports on an evaluation of its impact on attitudes, knowledge, and confidence of the participants in managing diabetic patients. METHODS: This study utilized a mixed-method design with focus group (FG), exit assessment, and survey. Ten participants were approached to complete the 2-week DIAMANTE program with hands-on training from a multidisciplinary diabetes team. In addition to an exit assessment and a pre-post online survey to assess attitudes of participants toward diabetes care, diabetes knowledge, and confidence in managing diabetic patients, FG was used to obtain the qualitative feedback of pharmacists. Feedback of the preceptors related to the program and pharmacist performance was also sought through an online survey. Survey data and FGs were analyzed using Wilcoxon signed-rank test and thematic analysis, respectively. RESULTS: All participants completed the program successfully. The FGs revealed four themes: program design, participants' view on preceptors, participants' perceptions of program benefits, and program's outlook. Participants perceived the program content as comprehensive and relevant. With experiential learning, the pharmacists reported improved counseling skills and increased understanding of the roles of different healthcare members. Their knowledge and confidence in managing diabetic patients was improved (P = .008). All participants passed the exit assessment. In general, the preceptors were satisfied with the program design, assessment content, and participant performance. DISCUSSION: The overall view of DIAMANTE appeared positive. The program also improved knowledge and confidence of the participants in managing diabetic patients.