Identifying Drug Therapy Problems Through Patient Consultation at Community Pharmacies: A Quality Improvement Project. Issue 1 (March 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Patel, Mira; Campbell, Michael; Moslem, Mobeen; Spriggel, Preston; Warholak, Terri
• Is Part Of: Journal of patient safety. Volume 16:Issue 1(2020)
• Publication Date: 2020-03
• Subjects: medication errors -- pharmacist counseling -- patient safety -- patient consult; Patients -- Safety measures -- Periodicals; Medicine -- Practice -- Safety measures -- Periodicals; Medical errors -- Prevention -- Periodicals; 610.289
• DOI: 10.1097/PTS.0000000000000228
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1549-8417

Abstract

Abstract : Objective: This study aimed to identify drug therapy problems during patient counseling at prescription pickup in the community pharmacy setting. Methods: This descriptive quality improvement project assessed the number of drug therapy problems identified during patient consultation. Data were collected for 2 months at 6 community pharmacies in Arizona. The criterion for inclusion was any patient new or transferred prescription consultation provided by a pharmacist or pharmacy intern. Three doctor of pharmacy candidates collected data on a standardized form. The percentage and type of drug therapy problems identified during patient consultation were calculated. Results: Data collectors counseled patients on 1305 prescriptions, and of those, 29 drug therapy problems (2.2%) were identified after the pharmacists' final check. The most common problems involved patient drug allergy or sensitivity (20.7%). Conclusions: This project suggests that drug therapy problems in a community pharmacy setting can be identified via patient counseling at the time of prescription pickup.