Hospital mainframe computer documentation of pharmacist interventions.

Abstract

The hospital mainframe computer pharmacist intervention documentation system described has successfully facilitated the recording, communication, analysis, and reporting of interventions at our hospital. It has proven to be time efficient, accessible, and user-friendly from the standpoint of both the pharmacist and administrator. The advantages of this system greatly outweigh manual documentation and justify the initial time investment in its design and development. In the future, it is hoped that the system can have even broader impact. Intervention/recommendations documented can be made accessible to medical and nursing staff, and as such further increase interdepartmental communication. As pharmacists embrace the pharmaceutical care mandate, documenting interventions in patient care will continue to grow in importance. Complete documentation is essential if pharmacists are to assume responsibility for patient outcomes. With time being an ever-increasing premium, and with economic and human resources dwindling, an efficient and effective means of recording and tracking pharmacist interventions will become imperative for survival in the fiscally challenged health care arena. Documentation of pharmacist intervention using a hospital mainframe computer at UIH has proven both efficient and effective.