Clinical pharmacy service: contributions on a part-time basis

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Full-time clinical pharmacist staffing is not yet feasible for many hospitals.
• An interim model for clinical pharmacy services is needed to improve drug therapy across diverse healthcare settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To document the impact of a part-time clinical pharmacist's services in a teaching hospital.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of a 50% time allotment for clinical pharmacy services in a large patient population.

Main Methods:

• A part-time clinical pharmacist provided services over an eleven-week period.
• Services were focused on a teaching hospital with an average daily census of 97 patients.
• The pharmacist monitored 229 patient admissions, primarily on pulmonary medicine and urology services.

Main Results:

• A total of 106 actions were taken following pharmacy consultations.
• Seventy percent of these actions were related to drug dosing problems.
• The part-time pharmacist successfully impacted drug therapy for a significant patient cohort.

Conclusions:

• A pharmacist providing clinical services on a less than full-time basis can positively influence drug therapy.
• Part-time clinical pharmacy services offer a viable interim solution for hospitals aiming to enhance patient care.
• This model demonstrates the potential for widespread application in improving medication management.