Drug usage review sample studies in long-term care facilities

Area of Science:

• Pharmacology and Health Services Research
• Long-term Care Pharmacy Practice

Background:

• Federal regulations mandate drug usage review (DUR) sample studies in long-term care facilities.
• Existing methods for DUR may not fully meet these requirements.
• A systematic approach is needed to optimize drug management in long-term care settings.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of a five-step systematic drug usage review method.
• To identify patterns of drug nonconformance in long-term care facilities.
• To determine the method's utility for pharmacists in meeting regulatory obligations.

Main Methods:

• A five-step systematic method was implemented across five long-term care facilities.
• The method involved defining health problems, establishing care criteria, measuring performance, and implementing educational activities.
• Data collection focused on instances where drug usage deviated from established professional criteria.

Main Results:

• The systematic review identified the most significant nonconformance in monitoring drug therapy effectiveness.
• Higher rates of nonconformance were observed for specific drugs: digoxin, hydrochlorothiazide, methyldopa, and thioridazine.
• Drug administration and transcription errors were minimal, indicating accurate medication delivery as ordered.

Conclusions:

• The five-step systematic method effectively identifies drug usage patterns and nonconformance issues.
• This approach supports pharmacists in their consultant role and in meeting federal sample study requirements.
• The findings highlight the importance of robust drug monitoring protocols in long-term care.