CLINICAL SUPERVISION - WHAT ABOUT THE SPECIALIST TRAINEES?

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Clinical Pharmacy
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Clinical supervision is crucial in pharmacy education, with established functions like education and support.
• Supervision levels often decrease for specialist trainees compared to earlier stages.
• Evidence for pharmacy clinical supervision's impact on patient outcomes is limited, unlike in nursing.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a case demonstrating the impact of effective clinical supervision on patient safety and outcomes for a specialist trainee.
• To highlight the importance of continued clinical supervision beyond foundation-level pharmacy practice.

Main Methods:

• A case review of a specialist trainee in a pediatric intensive care unit.
• Involved daily ward rounds with senior specialist pharmacist review for complex cases.
• Utilized educational pharmacist ward rounds twice weekly with reflective practice and documented significant events.

Main Results:

• Senior specialist review led to the discontinuation of nephrotoxic medications (gentamicin, furosemide) in a patient with sepsis, toxic shock syndrome, and acute kidney injury.
• These interventions prevented further kidney injury and aided patient recovery.
• The specialist trainee identified learning needs in managing acute kidney injury, nephrotoxic medication use, and interdisciplinary communication.

Conclusions:

• Clinical supervision is valuable for specialist pharmacy trainees, directly impacting patient safety and outcomes.
• Structured supervision by senior specialist pharmacists can improve care in complex cases.
• Further formal studies are needed to compare supervision methods and their impact on patient safety and outcomes.