Program for training staff pharmacists in total parenteral nutrition

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Clinical Nutrition
• Staff Education

Background:

• Community hospital implemented a pharmacy-based total parenteral nutrition (TPN) service in 1978.
• Historically, TPN pharmacists required a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree.
• Need to expand TPN service involvement to staff pharmacists with Bachelor of Science (B.S.) degrees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a staff development program for training B.S. pharmacists in TPN.
• To enable staff pharmacists to participate in the institution's TPN service.
• To expand the clinical roles of pharmacists in nutritional support.

Main Methods:

• A 12-week education and training program was developed.
• Four weeks of dedicated reading, followed by eight weeks of supervised clinical rounds.
• Proficiency examination administered after week 10.
• Quality assurance program implemented for continuous improvement.

Main Results:

• Six staff pharmacists successfully completed the TPN training program.
• Trained pharmacists are authorized to write TPN orders and conduct TPN rounds.
• The program expanded clinical roles for staff pharmacists.
• Quality assurance monitoring indicated excellent TPN service outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The staff development program effectively trained B.S. pharmacists for TPN therapy.
• The initiative successfully integrated staff pharmacists into the TPN service.
• The program enhanced the pharmacy's contribution to nutritional support and was well-received by medical staff.