Workload measurement of a clinical pharmacy residency program

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Clinical Pharmacy Education

Background:

• Clinical pharmacy residency programs require efficient allocation of resident time.
• Understanding resident activities is crucial for program development and optimization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To quantify the types and time spent on activities by clinical pharmacy residents.
• To utilize objective workload data for restructuring the residency program.

Main Methods:

• A workload measurement system was developed, recording 50 activities across 11 headings.
• Four residents' time was tracked over six months, analyzing units of work, productive hours, and productivity.
• Data collected monthly included weighted units of work, total service hours, and productivity metrics.

Main Results:

• Residents engaged in 39 of 50 tracked clinical pharmacy activities.
• Most frequent activities: nursing home drug reviews, drug monitoring, and rounds.
• Most time-consuming activities: clinical education, administration, and drug-use review.
• Productivity varied from 80-115%, influenced by rotation assignments.

Conclusions:

• A workload measurement system provides objective data on clinical pharmacy resident activities.
• This data is valuable for assessing and restructuring residency programs effectively.
• Understanding time allocation informs improvements in clinical pharmacy training.