Using pharmacists' documentation of clinical activities to reclaim employees and reposition the department

The use of documentation on pharmacist clinical activities to encourage greater hospital investment in a department is described. From 1983 through 1988, the number of full-time-equivalent (FTE) positions in the pharmacy department at a 468-bed medical center was reduced from 63 to 39.4. To cope with the challenge of a sharply reduced staff, the department established a permanent pharmacy-nursing task force, developed a pharmacy strategic plan, used total quality management, recruited the best staff possible when openings appeared, and held staff retreats. In addition, measures were taken to begin documenting all pharmacist clinical activities online. As data were accumulated, it became clear that more pharmacist involvement in patient care areas was needed and that more resources would be necessary to achieve that. Presentations were made to hospital administration to demonstrate the existing and potential contributions of the department; the presentations drew heavily on the clinical documentation. Formal reports were also submitted. As a result, the department received approval for a pharmacist career ladder, an increase of 1.6 pharmacist FTEs for the evening shift, a large salary-range adjustment for staff pharmacists, and an increase of 1 pharmacist FTE to focus on antimicrobial use. A pharmacy department successfully used documentation of its clinical activities to make a case to administration for reclaiming some of the pharmacist FTEs lost through downsizing.