KETS Research investigates the critical challenges facing modern pharmacy and develops innovative, evidence-informed solutions designed for real-world healthcare environments.
Our vision is to contribute to the evolution of pharmacy from a predominantly medicine-supply environment into a technology-enabled, clinically focused community healthcare hub.
We envision pharmacies where pharmacists combine professional expertise, digital technology, artificial intelligence and expanded clinical services to improve medication safety, healthcare accessibility and patient outcomes.
At KETS Research, we transform academic work into globally relevant research, helping students move beyond assignments and build meaningful contributions to healthcare and science.
Our goal is not research for research’s sake.
Artificial intelligence has the potential to fundamentally change pharmacy operations and clinical practice.
However, healthcare AI must be introduced responsibly.
KETS Research aims to investigate how artificial intelligence can enhance pharmacists’ capabilities while maintaining clinical governance, patient privacy, professional accountability and human clinical judgement.
Introducing more clinical services into pharmacy requires more than innovation.
It requires evidence that those services are safe, consistent, clinically effective and appropriately governed.
Pharmacy cannot expand its clinical contribution without a sustainable workforce.
KETS Research aims to investigate the structural causes and practical consequences of pharmacy workforce pressures.
Locum pharmacists perform an essential role in maintaining pharmacy services when permanent pharmacists are unavailable.
The research question is therefore not whether locums are valuable.
KETS Research proposes research into the financial, operational and clinical consequences of persistent locum dependency.
A study of financial burden, workforce instability, operational continuity and pharmacy sustainability.
Community pharmacy is changing.
Large pharmacy groups possess significant advantages in areas such as scale, purchasing, retail range, marketing and pricing.
Attempting to compete solely through retail pricing may therefore be difficult for smaller operators.
KETS Research is investigating a different strategic question:
The proposed KETS Future Pharmacy Model would reposition community pharmacy as a:
Dispensing remains an important component of pharmacy.
But around that foundation, the pharmacy can potentially develop a much broader clinical ecosystem.
“How can an independent pharmacy become cheaper than a large discount pharmacy?”
“How can we create sufficient healthcare value that price is no longer the pharmacy’s primary competitive advantage?”
This represents a fundamental shift from:
The proposed KETS Pharmacy Innovation Lab would provide a structured environment for developing and evaluating new pharmacy models.
Evaluating responsible applications of artificial intelligence for medication safety, clinical decision support and pharmacy workflow.
Designing and evaluating a clinically focused community pharmacy model capable of competing through healthcare value rather than primarily through retail pricing.
Investigating the financial and functional impact of sustained locum dependence within community pharmacy.
Investigating recruitment, retention, workload, workforce shortages and emerging pharmacy workforce structures.
Developing measurable indicators for evaluating the safety, quality, clinical effectiveness and economic performance of pharmacist-led services.
Researching communication, cultural adaptation, clinical competency and workforce integration for internationally qualified pharmacists entering New Zealand pharmacy practice.
Investigating new combinations of pharmacists, technicians, automation and artificial intelligence to determine how pharmacy teams could operate more efficiently.
Investigating whether expanded pharmacist-led clinical services can create commercially sustainable revenue while simultaneously generating measurable patient and healthcare-system value.
Examining how independent pharmacies can differentiate themselves from large discount pharmacy groups through clinical services, personalisation, accessibility and continuity of care.
A long-term research programme exploring how artificial intelligence, automation, pharmacist prescribing, digital health and changing consumer expectations may reshape community pharmacy over the coming decade.
KETS Research aims to translate research into practical outputs that can benefit pharmacy practice.
The challenges facing pharmacy cannot be solved by one organisation alone.
KETS Research welcomes opportunities to collaborate with organisations and professionals interested in advancing pharmacy practice and healthcare innovation.
Participate in pilot projects and real-world evaluation of innovative pharmacy services.
Contribute frontline experience to workforce, clinical-service and practice research.
Collaborate on study design, research methodology, analysis and publication.
Explore integrated models connecting pharmacy with wider primary healthcare.
Develop collaborative-care and referral pathways.
Evaluate technologies within clinically governed pharmacy environments.
Investigate the financial and health-system value of pharmacist interventions.
Contribute evidence and practical insights relevant to pharmacy-service development.
Explore opportunities to support research, technology development and scalable pharmacy innovation while maintaining appropriate research independence and governance.
We seek partnerships built around a shared objective:
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Where projects involve patients, identifiable health information, clinical interventions or human participants, appropriate ethical, privacy, governance and regulatory requirements would be identified before research begins.
Whether you are a pharmacist experiencing a problem that deserves investigation, a pharmacy interested in becoming a research site, a university seeking an industry collaborator, or a technology company developing solutions for pharmacy practice, KETS Research welcomes meaningful conversations.
