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Value of community pharmacists' interventions to correct prescribing errors
1Department of Pharmacy Practice, Purdue University, West Lafayette, IN 47907.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy
|December 1, 1992
Summary
Community pharmacists identify and fix prescription errors, preventing patient harm and saving healthcare costs. Their interventions provide significant economic value to patient care.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Pharmaceutical Sciences
- Clinical Pharmacy
Background:
- Community pharmacists play a crucial role in medication management.
- Prescribing-related problems can lead to patient harm and increased healthcare expenditure.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the economic value generated by community pharmacists' interventions in correcting prescribing errors.
- To assess the impact of pharmacist screening and correction of medication-related issues.
Main Methods:
- Expert judges reviewed documented interventions by community pharmacists across five states.
- A systematic evaluation of pharmacist-led problem-solving in dispensing activities was conducted.
Main Results:
- Pharmacist interventions prevented potential patient harm in 28.3% of identified prescribing-related problems.
- An estimated $122.98 in direct medical costs was avoided per problematic prescription.
- +$42.32 in savings was realized per new prescription screened by pharmacists.
Conclusions:
- Clinical pharmacy services demonstrably create significant economic value by improving patient outcomes and preventing adverse events.
- Continued research is essential to develop robust methods for measuring the value of pharmacy services.
- Incentive structures should be established to recognize and reward pharmacists for providing high-value patient care.