Implementation of a training program to improve pharmacy services for high-risk neonatal and maternal populations

A training program aimed at increasing pharmacists' role in the care of high-risk maternal, neonatal, and pediatric patients is described.

In preparation for the planned expansion of a large Ohio hospital's maternal and neonatal critical care services, the pharmacy department developed a training program to increase the knowledge and skill sets of staff pharmacists, especially those who lacked residency training. The program also supported the department's transition to an integrated patient-centered pharmacy practice model. Clinical practice guidelines, policy statements, and other sources were used to develop a series of 57 one-hour lectures on a wide range of topics in maternal-neonatal critical care. The lectures were delivered one morning each week, every other week, over 30 months, with additional case-based homework assigned; a passing score (80%) on all module examinations and homework assignments was required for continued course participation. Trainees who completed the voluntary program earned a certificate from the department head and continuing-education credit from the Ohio State Board of Pharmacy, and they were eligible to engage in expanded rounding and patient counseling activities. The program appeared to have a positive impact on patient satisfaction and efforts to reduce medication misadventures in the neonatal intensive care unit.

The implementation of a training program to educate non-residency-trained pharmacists in selected areas of maternal, neonatal, and pediatric health care helped enable the expansion of pharmacy services to include admission, daily, and discharge counseling.