Research-Ready Pharmacists: The Development of Research Entrustable Professional Activities (EPAs) for the Training of Practicing Pharmacists.

OBJECTIVE

To develop a set of research entrustable professional activities (EPAs) for practicing pharmacists to support research training and assessment.

METHODS

A mixed-methods, multiphase study was conducted. In Phase 1, pharmacy research experts participated in a focus group to generate a preliminary list of research tasks using a structured nominal group technique. Tasks were organized into domains representing stages of the research process. In Phase 2, the research team refined the tasks into draft EPAs and evaluated them using a modified EQual rubric assessing structural quality across 3 domains. EPAs were revised based on quantitative scores and qualitative feedback. In Phase 3, an external panel of pharmacy research experts evaluated the refined EPAs using an e-Delphi process. Prespecified cutpoints were applied across phases to guide progression and final selection.

RESULTS

Thirty-five pharmacy research experts participated in the Phase 1 focus group, generating 34 research tasks across 7 domains. In Phase 2, 5 research team members evaluated and refined these tasks, resulting in 22 draft EPAs. In Phase 3, 33 external experts evaluated the draft EPAs; 2 did not meet prespecified cutpoints and were removed. The final framework included 20 research EPAs with mean evaluation scores ranging from 4.03 to 4.64.

CONCLUSION

This study presents the first set of research EPAs developed for pharmacy practice. These EPAs define observable research activities that pharmacists may be entrusted to perform and provide a structured, adaptable framework to support curricular design, assessment, and progression of research competency in pharmacy education.