Multi-center investigation on personnel training and scientific research status of pharmacy intravenous admixture services (PIVAS) in mainland China based on the perspectives of PIVAS leaders

We sought to analyze the current situation of personnel training and scientific research regarding pharmacy intravenous admixture services (PIVAS), to provide evidence-based medical knowledge to inform personnel training for PIVAS in mainland China. A cross-sectional survey was used to examine the current status of PIVAS personnel training, research capabilities, needs, and research output of PIVAS personnel based from the perspective of leaders in PIVAS in China. The survey period was from March to April 2019. A total of 137 hospitals in China participated in this survey. The main training content areas of PIVAS staff in each hospital were professional theoretical knowledge (100.00%, 137/137) and practical operation ability (98.54%, 135/137). The frequency of training was typically 1 to 2 times/month (56.9%, 78/137). The average duration of a single training session was typically 1 h or less (68.6%, 94/137). The most common forms of PIVAS training were lectures (94.89%, 130/137) and practical operations (79.56%, 109/137). A total of 51.8% (71/137) of PIVAS leaders believed that PIVAS personnel had a high degree of scientific research needs, but 61.3% (84/137) believed that few personnel had mastered scientific research methodology, and 41.6% (57/137) believed that the scientific research ability of personnel was relatively poor. Among PIVAS personnel, only 38.7% (53/137) had specialized scientific training. The annual total SCI output was 0 to 18 articles (median 0 articles) and the total number of national-level funding grants was 0 to 2 (median 0). There were no significant differences in the training of PIVAS personnel and scientific research between different provinces and hospital levels. The training content of PIVAS personnel in China was found to be relatively rich, but management tools, career development, and training in scientific research were found to be relatively weak, and the scientific research output was very low. It is necessary to build a comprehensive training system for career development among PIVAS personnel.