Retrospective program boasts new addition.

This paper describes the evolution of quality improvement efforts over the past decade in a 600-bed French teaching hospital, after reviewing some characteristics of the French hospital system. The sequential attempts to improve drug dispensation illustrate the evolution of quality improvement efforts. Initial studies conducted in voluntary medical wards led to the modification of traditional prescription forms. Resulting improvements were presented in Evaluation Committee meetings, inducing other wards, to undertake similar changes on their own. A more systemic program currently is underway. The success of initial efforts can be credited to the willingness of physicians and nurses to engage in changes when the need for change was evident in their daily work experience, in spite of the questionable validity of some of the original findings. Focusing on systemic processes rather than on individual faults allowed this involvement. Reassessing the validity of so-called medication errors also highlighted the importance of careful process analysis, which should be stressed during the development of quality assurance procedures. The variability inherent in clinical conditions calls for a flexible, outcome-oriented approach, as used in quality improvement methods. Quality improvement efforts are spreading throughout the hospital. However, diffusion of change from motivated work groups to the larger community remains a challenge. To obtain a consistent performance level across all parts of the organization, and to avoid losing impetus due to uncoordinated efforts, innovation must become a consistent feature of the hospital structure.

Drug Utilization Review↗

PubMed1997

Models of hospital drug policy in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: Pharmacists in UK National Health Service (NHS) hospitals have a long tradition of involvement in the development of drug policy. This paper describes various approaches that have been employed in the development and implementation of drug policy in hospitals and examines the evidence for their effectiveness and acceptability in the context of a changing health service. METHODS: A series of focused interviews was conducted with a range of staff, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists and managers at eight hospitals. Interview sites were selected on the basis of a national survey of clinical pharmacy roles and were broadly representative of UK NHS hospitals. Interview data were analysed using constant comparison and analytic induction. RESULTS: Three models used in the development of drug policy were identified: a 'traditional' model, in which a drug and therapeutics committee establishes a hospital-wide formulary which is implemented by pharmacists; a 'combined' model, in which there is much more emphasis on tailoring policies and feedback to specialties or clinical directorates; and a 'medical control' model, in which prescribing decisions are made by individual doctors without reference to explicit policies and with little active pharmacy involvement. Pharmacy involvement was seen as vital to the development of effective policies but hospital-specific factors influenced the choice of model at particular sites. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitals may be moving towards the 'combined' model which could have advantages in the current internal market within the NHS. However, evaluations of the various approaches to drug policy should help inform this decision.

Drug Utilization Review↗