Benchmarking in health-system pharmacy: current research and practical applications

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Healthcare Management
• Infectious Disease Control

Background:

• Benchmarking is a method for discovering best practices by comparing competing approaches to achieve a specific goal.
• Hospital pharmacy practice can benefit from benchmarking, particularly in managing antimicrobial utilization and bacterial resistance rates.
• Establishing appropriate and attainable goals is crucial for optimizing pharmacy operations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To discuss the application of benchmarking techniques in hospital pharmacy practice.
• To highlight the use of benchmarking for antimicrobial drug utilization and resistance rates.
• To introduce the Benchmarking Program at Millard Fillmore Hospital and its objectives.

Main Methods:

• The Benchmarking Program, established in 1993, involves a network of hospital pharmacists sharing data on antimicrobial use, management, and resistance.
• Participating hospitals receive annual reports comparing their performance against peer groups and benchmark hospitals.
• Data from U.S. hospitals are pooled and analyzed to identify trends, though patient-level studies are also necessary.

Main Results:

• Benchmarking allows institutions to identify potential problem areas in pharmacy practice.
• It aids in establishing appropriate and attainable goals for antimicrobial management.
• The program facilitates the optimization of antimicrobial management and creates a national database for analysis.

Conclusions:

• Benchmarking antimicrobial drug use in hospitals can reveal successes and areas for improvement.
• It supports the establishment of realistic and effective goals for pharmacy practice.
• The Benchmarking Program provides valuable insights for optimizing antimicrobial stewardship and understanding resistance patterns.