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At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1980

Patient-care unit system for measuring clinical and distributive pharmacy workload.

A time-weighted measurement of workload for distributive and clinical pharmaceutical services, the Patient-care Unit (PCU) System, is described. The Department of Pharmaceutical Services and the School of Pharmacy at the University of California, San Francisco, defines each patient-care pharmaceutical activity and assigns it a weighted value (WPCU) based on the time required to complete the activity. Manpower requirements are based on WPCUs and records of activities performed. Forty-two WPCUs have been defined. Based on these units, the PCU System permits (1) determination of pharmacy time devoted to distributive and clinical pharmaceutical services, (2) evaluation of staffing requirements for existing or proposed programs, (3) measurement of departmental productivity, and (4) comparison of pharmaceutical services offered in different hospitals. Applications and limitations of the PCU concept, which has been adopted by nine other hospitals, are discussed. The PCU System is a step toward development of a uniform workload reporting system for hospital pharmacies.

California↗
PubMed1999

Pharmacy Distribution of Advice, Symptomatic Treatment and Antimicrobial Drugs to Patients with Cough.

It is an accepted fact that, in many countries, pharmacies are the predominant source of medical advice over-the-counter drugs, and supplies of "prescription-only" drugs for sale without a prescription. To assess the activities conducted by pharmacists or pharmacy counter assistants in response to a common health problem, a cross-sectional study was done at 114 pharmacies in Porto Alegre, Brazil. A fictitious case-history of cough was used by trained personnel entering the pharmacy and the subsequent activities by the pharmacist or pharmacy counter assistant were analyzed. Some kind of medication was provided in 101 (88.5%) of the pharmacies. Pharmacists gave medication in 80% of pharmacies, and pharmacy assistants in 95.5% (p<0.03). The class of medication most frequently dispensed was the expectorants (97 times, 92.4%), however, systemic antibiotics were provided in 11 pharmacies (10.5%). Of note, the pharmacists provided antibiotics more frequently than did pharmacy assistants (p=0.016). We conclude that pharmacy advice and symptomatic medical care (expectorants) are very common and that pharmacy assistants are more likely than pharmacists to provide medication. Of concern, when pharmacists were the drug dispensers of antibiotics which should be provided by prescription only, drugs were provided without proper diagnosis, and often in incorrect dosages. This reflects a potentially dangerous practice in need of careful evaluation, education and supervision.

Journal Article↗
PubMed1985

Pharmacy-based distribution system for enteral nutrition products.

A hospital pharmacy department's implementation of enteral nutrition product distribution and its proposal for an enteral nutrition product admixture service are described. Responsibility for the distribution of enteral nutrition formulations was transferred from the central distribution department to the pharmacy after problems with inventory control, billing procedures, and inappropriate administration of enteral nutrition products were recognized by personnel from the central-distribution area and nutrition services. After additional problems were identified using a multi-disciplinary approach, the pharmacy department implemented an enteral nutrition product distribution system and developed an enteral nutrition product formulary. A proposal was developed for a pharmacy-based enteral nutrition admixture service, but implementation of this service was deferred because data from a cost-effectiveness evaluation and random bacteriologic monitoring did not justify adding the service. Pharmacy-based distribution and formulary control of enteral nutrition products alleviated problems with inaccurate patient charges and accumulation of stock on the nursing units. Pharmacists at this hospital hope to develop an enteral nutrition product admixture program that will result in cost savings for the institution.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2002

Implementing a performance evaluation system in a correctional managed care pharmacy.

The development and implementation of a departmental performance evaluation system for a correctional managed care pharmacy are described. Health care services for approximately 150,000 offenders within the Texas Department of Criminal Justice are provided through an arrangement with two university systems, the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) and Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center. UTMB provides all distributive pharmacy services through a central pharmacy located in Huntsville, Texas. The pharmacy department distributes 9,000-15,000 medication orders daily to over 140 facilities. Each department within UTMB Correctional Managed Care is evaluated against predetermined quality indicators. This evaluation system is collectively called the operational performance evaluation system (OPES) and is used, in part, to determine pay-for-performance eligibility. Before fiscal year 2001, pharmacy distributive services were provided under a third university system. Joining the UTMB system required the pharmacy department to not only participate in OPES but to develop quality indicators and measurement systems to evaluate departmental performance. Indicators were chosen to reflect a commitment to quality while assuring appropriate productivity in the provision of pharmaceutical care. Seven pharmaceutical care quality indicators were chosen and weighted by perceived importance. A system for data collection, measurement, and reporting was also developed. Implementation of a departmental performance evaluation system provides a means to measure service quality, identify areas of weakness, track performance over time, and lower costs. By setting concrete goals, this system raises awareness and promotes interdependence among department personnel.

Community Pharmacy Services↗
PubMed1978

Computer system for unit dose drug distribution.

A computerized unit dose drug distribution system, part of an online hospital information system, is described. Differences between manual and computerized pharmacy distribution, and the advantages and deficiencies of the automated system are discussed. The system seems to improve pharmacy's efficiency, accuracy, control of drugs and capabilities for patient monitoring and drug use review. If mechanical failure occurs, back-up procedures keep the distribution system operational. The computer system is believed to decrease the time spent by pharmacists on routine distribution tasks, leaving time for other necessary pharmacy functions.

Computers↗
PubMed1989

The evaluation of pharmacist-technician teams applied to a satellite pharmacy.

The team work group design has been suggested as a mechanism to integrate clinical and distributive pharmacy services, expand clinical roles, enhance staff satisfaction, and promote resource efficiency. A pharmacist-technician team was created at Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, and the effects of the team were assessed via pre and post data collection of attitudinal, behavioral and pharmacy service aspects. Each of three satellite teams were responsible for all pharmacy services to a target group of patients. The results of the team design include a significant decrease in pharmacist and technician perceptions of role stress, especially in the categories of role overload, role isolation, and role ambiguity, and less total hours of work lost by pharmacists (54% improved) and technicians (29% improved). The nurses perceived slightly better pharmacy services upon survey, although not statistically significant, and IV solution wastage decreased 5.6%. Clinical pharmacist compliance to standards of practice was unchanged in spite of increased supervisional responsibilities. We were able to show that the pharmacist-technician team design decreased stress and created more efficient pharmacy services.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2006

[Pharmaceutical distribution and retail pharmacy].

In this chapter, the main characteristics of pharmaceutical distribution and retail pharmacy are described. The author analyses the structure of this sector, the agents operating in it -wholesalers, hospital pharmacy services and chemists- and the very few modifications introduced in it in the recent years, focusing on the incentives of its current structure and their consistency with health aims. On the basis of this analysis, the author outlines some possible ways to redefine the sector, which should focus on the promotion of desirable health objectives rather than on the survival of the inefficacies that hinder its evolution. The author pays special attention to the need to modify the inadequate existing retribution system and to substitute it for a different one, which focuses on the professionalism of the service provided, rather than on the profit margin or the sales.

Drug Industry↗
PubMed1983

Growing alternatives for computerized pharmacy.

HPI has chosen a unique approach in its computer project development and implementation. It has prioritized financial and distributive pharmacy services incorporated into a mainframe system. This system is intended as a national framework with high flexibility for addition of new services. It is referred to as Patient Records Electronically Prepared (PREP).

California↗
PubMed1988

Adjustments of distributive and clinical pharmacy services to financial constraints.

The effects of hospital budget constraints on a pharmacy department's ability to provide distributive and clinical services are described, and the development and use of workload-monitoring systems to match resources with demand is discussed. In 1980, the pharmacy department at Grace Hospital, a 402-bed community hospital in Detroit, Michigan, began quantifying workload by using five drug distribution indicators. After the pharmacy began providing clinical services in 1981, workload elements were measured in a pilot program for ASHP's Hospital Pharmacy Management Information System. Hospitalwide staff reductions occurred in 1985, eliminating most clinical pharmacy services. From 1985 to 1986, drug costs increased more than expected; also, turnaround time for medication orders increased. In 1986, 1.4 full-time-equivalent positions were added, and the pharmacy instituted use of decentralized carts and a pharmacist on the patient-care units to provide first doses. The hospital's management engineering department had selected patient days as the single indicator for pharmacy workload, but pharmacy used the ASHP Pharma Trend monitoring system to present data that convinced management engineering that patient days was an inadequate indicator of pharmacy workload. Also, drug costs decreased after the drug distribution changes and the reinstitution of patient drug therapy monitoring. Pharmacy managers need workload monitoring systems that are responsive to changes and include departmental expense information; these systems should be able to interrelate to hospital cost-accounting systems.

Cost Control↗