Clinical pharmacy activities: a quantitative assessment at Sunnybrook Medical Centre

Levels of clinical pharmacy activity were assessed at Sunnybrook Medical Centre using levine et al's concept of Patient Care Units. Data from pharmacist-initiated log sheets (for two four-week periods) were collated and described under the headings of: "Average Clinical Time Per Day", "Number of Specific Clinical Encounters Per Month", "Average Percentage of Total Clinical Time Per Encounter", and "Average Time Per Specific Clinical Encounter". It was noted that only 21.7 to 26.0% of working time was spent on clinical interactions and that many of these activities did not involve patients. For example, clinical non-distributive interactions with professionals (other than physicians or nurses) and attendance at pharmacy educational functions, accounted for the largest portion of clinical time. Most of the patient encounters that did occur consisted of the indirect activity of chart review, instead of the more direct-discharge interviews, allergy verifications, and medication histories, it was apparent from the log sheet results that there was an individual prioritization of clinical activities by the Sunnybrook pharmacists. However, a departmental assumption that direct patient encounters had priority was not evident.