R I Simonian | PubMed Health

PubMed1989

Computerized documentation of clinical pharmacist interventions.

An intervention documentation system can be an extremely effective patient care and management tool. The system currently in effect at UCSD Medical Center owed its success primarily to computerization. Using a computerized documentation system, the clinical pharmacists documented their activities in a quick and simple manner without ever leaving the patient care areas. In this way, the clinical pharmacists could concentrate their efforts on positively affecting therapeutic patient care outcomes with minimum disruption. On the management side, the Department of Pharmacy now has a very powerful method to demonstrate the activities of the clinical pharmacist to hospital administration. The future of this type of a program is to effectively demonstrate positive patient care outcomes as a result of the activities of a comprehensive clinical pharmacy program.

California↗

PubMed1987

Effect of a pharmacy-based cost-containment program on cimetidine costs and use.

A program developed by the University of California at San Diego Medical Center to curb over-prescribing of cimetidine is described. Guidelines for cimetidine use were approved in September 1985. Pharmacists undertook physician education and enforced the guidelines by monitoring patients through a specially designed documentation form. When use of cimetidine was not in compliance with the guidelines, the pharmacists contacted the physicians to recommend changes. Use of cimetidine hydrochloride injection declined 49% between September 30 and December 6, 1985. Extrapolated to an entire year, this reduction would result in cost savings of +12,000 to +16,000. However, after pharmacists stopped enforcing the guidelines in December 1985, use of cimetidine hydrochloride injection gradually increased to near control levels. In February 1986, the review of patients receiving cimetidine was reinstituted, resulting in another decline in use. Periodic review and reinforcement by pharmacists appear necessary to ensure that cimetidine continues to be prescribed appropriately.

California↗