The “ POWERS ” Heuristic: Key Considerations for Enhancing Implementation Readiness in Pharmacy Practice and Beyond

Vollständiger Abstract

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ABSTRACT Effective implementation of pharmacist‐delivered patient care interventions requires systematic, careful pre‐launch planning, which includes assessing and building readiness of the health care setting embracing this change. A health care team needs to be both willing and able to deliver the selected service. Despite its recognized importance, implementation readiness has rarely been operationalized into a usable system for pharmacy practice. The present article introduces the “POWERS” heuristic, which outlines the six elements of implementation readiness to consider in preparation for service implementation: Ready patient ( P atient), Ready priorities ( O rganizational Priorities), Ready workflow ( W orkflow), Ready workforce ( E ngaged Workforce), Ready Operations ( R esources and Operations), and Ready Supports ( S upports). These domains represent the readiness content components of a broader readiness formula that, when paired with a systematic readiness assessment and building (RAB) process, provides a structured approach to strengthening implementation readiness. Application of the heuristic within the RAB process is illustrated through a case study involving delivery of three community pharmacist‐delivered patient care services (for diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and anxiety/depression) in 22 national/regional, grocery store, and independently owned pharmacies. This heuristic not only expands on current conceptualizations of readiness, but also provides a practical and actionable set of readiness domains to support systematic readiness assessment and building efforts in pharmacy practice and beyond.