The Effect of Student Pharmacists as Peer Coaches on Implementation of Community Pharmacy Services

Abstract

Purpose and Objectives: Pharmacist-led chronic disease management services can lead to improvements in health outcomes, yet barriers exist to the implementation of these services in community pharmacies. This study aimed to assess the effect of student pharmacists serving as peer coaches during implementation of a disease management program in community pharmacies. Intervention Approach: In summer 2025, student pharmacists served as peer coaches to facilitate implementation of a program designed to manage type 2 diabetes and hypertension among pharmacy patients into the workflow of participating pharmacies. Evaluation Methods: A 35-item questionnaire was emailed to participating pharmacy teams before and 30 days after the coaching intervention. Survey questions assessed pharmacy characteristics, perceived success, readiness for implementating change, and attitudes toward the More Than a Script program. Program engagement data (number of patient encounters and number of completed patient visits) were collected from May to September 2025. We used the number of completed patient visits to calculate revenue generated during the coaching intervention. We used descriptive and comparative statistics for analysis. Results: Of 29 pharmacy teams participating in the coaching intervention, 18 (62%) responded to the survey. Pharmacy personnel indicated improvements in perceived success, readiness for change, and attitudes toward the program. The number of completed patient visits per pharmacy by the end of the coaching intervention was higher among coached pharmacy teams than among uncoached pharmacy teams with the exclusion of an outlier in the uncoached group (28 vs 13, P = .001). The average percentage of total patient encounters that resulted in a completed patient visit increased more in the coached group (from 32% to 56%) than in the uncoached group regardless of the outlier (from 22% to 25% with the outlier, 21% to 24% without the outlier; P = .02). The average revenue per pharmacy was $1,005 for coached pharmacies and $274 for uncoached pharmacies after excluding an outlier in the uncoached group (P = .001). Implications for Public Health: The accessibility offered by community pharmacies provides a path to connect patients to chronic disease management, but improved outcomes cannot occur without effective implementation. Student pharmacists serving as peer coaches can help community pharmacies with implementation of services to improve population health outcomes.

The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Preventing Chronic Disease, 2026 · DOI ↗