Background Pharmacists are well positioned to assist in improving patient initiation and implementation adherence to new long-term therapies. In the United Kingdom, the New Medicine Service (NMS) was developed in 2010 to facilitate this role in a more systematic way. Following initial indications of success, what ensued was an international expansion of the service across varying contexts both successfully and unsuccessfully that continues today.

Purpose International research teams that trialled the NMS in their country were interviewed to develop an in-depth understanding beyond published literature of the research processes utilised and their experience in implementing the service to help inform future implementation efforts in Switzerland and abroad.

Method Semi-structured online interviews were conducted with 11 international research groups from 10 countries between May 2023 and January 2024. Study specific interview guides were developed based on the TiDIER framework and the Basel Heptagon of Implementation Science. A deductive thematic analysis was conducted using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR).

Findings Preliminary results find that similar challenges emerged across settings including unsustainable financial models, inefficient healthcare technological infrastructure for data collection and integrated care, time constraints within pharmacies, insufficient patient uptake and underdeveloped interprofessional collaboration between pharmacists and other healthcare providers. Only three countries were able to successful implement the New Medicine Service and sustain it in practice. In retrospect, almost all research groups indicated that stakeholder engagement and formative needs assessments prior to implementation would have increased the likelihood of implementation success.

Conclusion These findings suggest that more careful consideration of local contexts through stakeholder-engaged research is critical for long-term success. Insights obtained will help optimise the planned implementation of the New Medicines Service in Switzerland (myCare Start) and other countries seeking to implement similar services.