What Does Research Mean for Pharmacy Technicians?
Research for pharmacy technicians includes any activity that creates new knowledge, improves understanding or evaluates how services can work better. It is broader than practice-based research alone and includes projects in areas such as medicines safety, service design, workflow optimisation, public health, quality improvement and healthcare education research.
Pharmacy technicians bring a unique perspective because of their direct involvement in the delivery of pharmacy services across all sectors. Their insight helps ensure that research is meaningful, practical and grounded in real experience.
Research activity can include:
- Identifying problems or questions that arise in practice
- Gathering, analysing and interpreting data
- Testing and evaluating changes
- Contributing to studies led by multidisciplinary teams
- Sharing findings to influence future practice and policy
Research is one of the recognised pillars of advanced practice and strengthens professional development, leadership and decision making.
Why it Matters
Pharmacy technicians involved in research help to:
- Improve the safety, quality and efficiency of pharmacy services
- Provide evidence that shapes national and local practice
- Support innovation and identify new ways of working
- Raise the visibility and influence of the pharmacy technician profession
- Contribute to a stronger evidence base for pharmacy as a whole
Whether you are new to research or already experienced, every contribution adds value.
What Might Research Involve?
Pharmacy technicians may take part in a wide range of research activities, including:
Participating in research studies or audits
Example: Contributing to data collection for a study on medication adherence or medicines administration errors.
Leading or supporting quality improvement or evaluation projects
Example: Evaluating a new stock management process and measuring its impact on safety and waste.
Generating evidence to redesign services
Example: Analysing workflow data and supporting changes that improve turnaround times for prescriptions.
Contributing to multidisciplinary research teams
Example: Working alongside pharmacists, clinicians and researchers on population health, service redesign or health inequalities projects.
Sharing research findings
Example: Presenting a poster or oral presentation at an APTUK event or writing up a project for publication in an open-access journal.
How to Get Started
- Explore the nine NIHR e-learning modules aimed at pharmacists and pharmacy technicians and complete those that interest you NIHR e-learning
- Sign up to the Pharmacy Research UK newsletter Pharmacy Research UK
- Join the Incubator for Pharmacy Professionals network Pharmacy Research Professionals
- Request access to the Research Toolkit aimed at the pharmacy workforce currently held on the Joined Up Care Derbyshire FutureNHS pages https://future.nhs.uk/PharmacyWorkforceDerbyshire
- Connect with APTUK branch meetings and find out what others are doing.
- Explore pharmacy-related post-registration options that can strengthen your research and academic skills.
Training & Development
Build your research skills with these resources:
APTUK Key resources
Getting Started in Research: A Webinar for Pharmacy Technicians.
Getting Started in Research: A Webinar for Pharmacy technicians
YouTube
Getting Started in Research: A Webinar for Pharmacy hosted by Birmingham and Solihull Integrated Care System Getting Started in Research A Webinar for Pharmacy
NIHR e-Learning Modules
Free e-learning modules aiming to improve clinical research awareness for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians new to research.
https://www.rpharms.com/development/research-and-evaluation/nihr-e-learning
Note: Sign-up requires an NHS email address or other approved domains.
e-Learning for Healthcare
Explore programmes such as How to Search the Literature Effectively or Research Audit and Quality Improvement
Literature Searching - elearning for healthcare
Research, Audit and Quality Improvement - elearning for healthcare