For a number of patients, the availability of medical supplies is of paramount importance. Pharmaceuticals become especially vital during a disaster or other emergency. For this reason, researchers try to investigate how pharmacy personnel can provide a coordinated response. This issue is described and discussed in an article by Alkhalili and Grenier, which was published under the name of “Defining Roles for Pharmacy Personnel in Disaster Response and Emergency Preparedness.” In this study, they investigate the methods that can be implemented in order to provide training in disaster medicine for pharmacists and support staff. Moreover, they also implemented several research methods in order to provide a framework that contains main activities for improving the teams’ performance during emergency situations. This article was selected due to the effectiveness of provided solutions and thorough research that was conducted by Alkhalili and Grenier. In this annotation, their efforts in retrieving and reviewing the information will be analyzed. Considering the amount of work that was put into this investigation, it can be assumed that despite several limitations, the researchers managed to explore this topic thoroughly. Moreover, they also provided an effective framework that can be used in improving pharmacies’ response in emergency situations.
First of all, it would be important to point out qualitative methods of research that were used in this study, which are literature review and reflection. The aspect of implementing proper tactics is one of the most important since it contributes to the credibility of the article. Furthermore, qualitative research should carefully describe and analyze the context and dynamics of the topic in question (Kanno & Kangas, 2014). In addition, there are numerous qualities that should be taken into account while carrying out a scientific investigation. For instance, some researchers note that the concept of unbiased research “has long been recognized by qualitative methodologists” (Roulston & Shelton, 2015, p. 333). In other words, the study in question should be constructive and free of preconceptions.
Another vital aspect is the structure of the provided article. Professionals in the field of qualitative research indicate that while conducting an investigation, “we ask questions instead of posing hypothesis” (Creswell, 2015, p. 97). In the beginning, the researchers should state and describe the central phenomenon and the core idea behind the topic of interest. After that, scholars should identify not only participants of the study but also the place where the research will be taken. It can be seen from the text that the investigators defined the primary idea, which is facilitating “future work between pharmacy personnel on an international level” (Alkhalili and Grenier, 2017, p. 496). Moreover, they also managed to identify those who are involved in this study, which is a strategy that is used by other investigators as well (Anyon, 1981). The participants are people who are pharmacists and support staff who have experience working in natural and human made emergency situations.
Special attention should be paid to the fact that researchers put the focus on workers who have already gone through disasters and faced problems regarding the availability of medical supplies. The reason for this is that instead of creating a hypothesis, they used the reliable experience to find answers to the primary question. This strategy allowed Alkhalili and Grenier to determine the main problems that are faced by medical staff and what activities can be implemented in order to mitigate the negative outcomes.
One of the primary methods of qualitative research is the strategy of retrieving information from scholarly sources. The importance of this tactic comes from the fact that the process of applying it in research involves coming to “understand how various concepts have been debated and discussed in the literature” (Roulston & Shelton, 2015, p.332). Each peer-reviewed work is, to a certain extent, an analysis, an assessment, and a generalization of information that was already available. Moreover, the researchers also must recognize the fact that they used other resources and provide credit to them. In the “Methods” section, Alkhalili and Grenier (2017) note that they conducted a literature review, which contained information about the capabilities of pharmacy staff to respond in an emergency.
Another qualitative research method is using reflection documents. This strategy has come a long way in the history of scientific research and is commonly employed in studies. Ortlipp (2008) confirms this fact by saying that a reflexive approach to “the research process is now widely accepted in much qualitative research” (p. 695). Reflection involves considering how different representations can be captured in one’s mind and how representations of the same events can differ from various perspectives. At the present time, analyzing and ruminating on others’ accounts reflection is considered to be an effective method for seeking solutions to different problems. They include rethinking someone’s experience, organizing, and developing certain tools or activities. In this particular case, Alkhalili and Grenier managed to determine activities that were conducted by pharmacists during emergencies. They were also adapted to three time periods in accordance with the stages of a catastrophic event, which included preparing for a disaster, taking immediate directed action, and further recovering (Alkhalili and Grenier, 2017). For this reason, it can be assumed that the researchers successfully used reflective documents in order to structure information and provide the course of action.
Nevertheless, as this can be the case with many studies, this article also has several limitations that influenced its results in some way. For instance, investigators admit the fact that they may have overlooked some activities due to the restricted amount of time given to conduct this study (Alkhalili and Grenier, 2017). Moreover, the amount of material that could be used was also limited because only documents in English were analyzed. On the other hand, it does not necessarily mean that the credibility of this investigation is compromised. The use of such qualitative methods as literature research and review, as well as reflecting on the experience of three authors, allows the researchers to examine major areas of the topic thoroughly. According to the article, all works that were analyzed, describe “practical experience either in preparing for or working in various emergency scenarios over the past two decades” (Alkhalili and Grenier, 2017, 502). This fact allows one to conclude that the investigators successfully used qualitative research methods by carefully selecting the necessary literature.
In conclusion, it would appear that even though the process of conducting this review was met with several obstacles, the researchers managed to provide thoughtful analysis. They took an approach of studying and analyzing observable data to identify patterns of activities that are relatable to the topic. After that, they developed a framework that explains the gaps in the existing literature and helps to coordinate a proper response in emergency situations. This allows one to say that Alkhalili and Grenier conducted a qualitative study that can be widely used in a medical setting. Moreover, this research inspires further work that can elaborate on providing training opportunities for pharmacy practitioners.
References
Alkhalili, M., Ma, J., & Grenier, S. (2017). Defining roles for pharmacy personnel in disaster response and emergency preparedness. Disaster Medicine and Public Health Preparedness, 11(4), 496-504.
Anyon, J. (1981). Social class and school knowledge. Curriculum inquiry, 11(1), 3-42.
Creswell, J. W. (2015). 30 essential skills for the qualitative researcher. Sage Publications.
Kanno, Y., & Kangas, S. E. (2014). “I’m not going to be, like, for the AP” English language learners’ limited access to advanced college-preparatory courses in high school. American Educational Research Journal, 51(5), 848-878.
Ortlipp, M. (2008). Keeping and using reflective journals in the qualitative research process. The qualitative report, 13(4), 695-705.
Roulston, K., & Shelton, S. A. (2015). Reconceptualizing bias in teaching qualitative research methods. Qualitative Inquiry, 21(4), 332-342.