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Nutritional support: pharmacists' influence on the prescribing process.
L A McDermott1, J T Albrecht, D H Good
1Parkland Memorial Hospital, Dallas, TX.
Topics in Hospital Pharmacy Management
|September 5, 1994
Summary
Staff pharmacists enhanced patient care in nutritional support through specialized training. This increased their involvement in physician prescribing, leading to better parenteral nutrition therapy and improved job satisfaction.
Area of Science:
- Clinical Pharmacy
- Nutritional Support
- Healthcare Quality Improvement
Background:
- Increasingly complex patient needs require expanded clinical pharmacy roles.
- Effective nutritional support is crucial for patient recovery and outcomes.
- Physician prescribing practices can be optimized through pharmacist collaboration.
Purpose of the Study:
- To enhance staff pharmacists' direct patient care in nutritional support.
- To increase pharmacists' involvement in physician prescribing for parenteral nutrition.
- To evaluate the impact of expanded pharmacist roles on patient care and job satisfaction.
Main Methods:
- A Nutritional Support Clinical Pharmacy Specialist (NSCPS) trained staff pharmacists.
- Staff pharmacists monitored all parenteral nutrition patients.
- Pharmacists participated in nutritional support rounds and documented interventions.
- Pharmacists engaged in drug-usage evaluation (DUE) processes.
Main Results:
- Parenteral nutrition therapy became more appropriate.
- Transition from parenteral to enteral nutrition occurred earlier.
- Physicians recognized staff pharmacists as valuable resources.
- Pharmacists reported increased job satisfaction.
Conclusions:
- Expanded pharmacist roles in nutritional support improve patient therapy.
- Pharmacist involvement in prescribing enhances healthcare team collaboration.
- Specialized training empowers staff pharmacists to provide direct patient care, boosting job satisfaction.