Clinical audit of structured pharmaceutical care plans recorded within a hospital pharmaceutical care service

Abstract

Background: Pharmaceutical care is delivered in various ways and settings. There is a need for ways of describing the care delivered to be able to compare the care delivered in different settings.

Aim and objectives: The aim of the project was to compare the prescribing activity and delivery of pharmaceutical care in two clinical settings. In order to quantitatively compare the pharmaceutical care activity, a categorisation system for pharmaceutical care issues previous developed at University of Strathclyde was used. This categorisation system was modified as part of this and three other projects before it was used.

Methods: The categorisation system was modified through literature review and discussions between the four researchers. Categorisation of care issues was used to quantitatively describe the delivery of pharmaceutical care at a Care of the Elderly ward. The data was also used to statistically compare the delivery of pharmaceutical care with another ward at the same hospital. Two separate projects surveyed the prescribing activity at the two wards, and the results from these are included in this project.

Results: The comparison of pharmaceutical care between the two wards showed that the pharmacists had different focus in the delivery of care. Differences in prescribing activity were also showed between the two wards.

Discussion: The difference in pharmaceutical care activity can be explained by differences in patient population, prescribing activity and pharmacist preferences. The data collection was based upon documentation made by the pharmacists during their work in the clinical setting. Variations in recording can have contributed to the differences seen.

Conclusion: The categorisation system can be used to describe and compare delivery of pharmaceutical care in different settings.