A computerized system to improve documentation and reporting of pharmacists' clinical interventions, cost savings,...

A major factor in delivering patient care is documenting activities by pharmacists. This documentation is not only essential to sustain existing programs but necessary to justify future growth of resources. A computerized documentation system for clinical interventions and workload activities was developed in a 340-bed university teaching hospital. With the expansion of its pharmaceutical care model, the department reworked its distribution process to allocate more pharmacist time for patient care. Manual documentation of these services, however, soon was identified as an obstacle. A software program was developed to alleviate the problems inherent with manual documentation. This "user-friendly" program tracks clinical recommendations and interventions by pharmacists, and calculates cost savings/avoidance. It also facilitates monthly and annual reporting for department managers.