Title 9. QUALITY ASSURANCE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY SERVICES.pdf ✅

PHARMD GURU Page 1 DEFINITION: Quality assurance can be defined as the procedures which are used to set, promote, maintain and monitor the desired standards for services and products. SIGNIFICANCE OF QUALITY ASSURANCE PROGRAM:  The implementation of a quality assurance program will provide confidence that defined tasks are carried out efficiently, effectively and according to the accepted standards of professional ethics and knowledge  It is a professional responsibility to ensure that appropriate standards of clinical pharmacy services are documented and maintained.  The implementation of a quality assurance program will provide confidence that defined tasks are carried out efficiently, effectively and according to the accepted standards of professional ethics and knowledge  It is a professional responsibility to ensure that appropriate standards of clinical pharmacy services are documented and maintained. GOALS:  To monitor and evaluate the quality of clinical pharmacy services and standards of practice  To identify areas for improvement (questions existing practice)  To provide a mechanism through which action is taken to make and maintain these improvements  To motivate clinical pharmacists by involving them in the assessment and evaluation of their service. QUALITY ASSURANCE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY SERVICES
PHARMD GURU Page 2 THE COMPONENTS OF DEVELOPING A QUALITY PROGRAM: 1. Establishment of a quality program:  The aims and practices of clinical pharmacists should be in accordance with the overall pharmacy development and the large framework of the institution.  Where existing institutional procedures and requirements are inadequate, establishment of clinical pharmacy quality practice may provide impetus or even serve as a model for other areas. 2. Development and documentation of clear objectives. 3. Development of clear and effective strategies and supporting plans to achieve objectives. The strategies, should be explained, detailed and understood. 4. Encouragement of effective employee participation. Participation by appropriate staff (and stakeholders) in the development and implementation of quality plans is likely to lead to the plan being better received and adopted by the participants. METHODS:  Standards and criteria established should reflect the range of activities for clinical pharmacists.  Certain performance indicators are suggested for clinical pharmacy services. The following are the suggested performance indicators for clinical pharmacy services. CLINICAL ACTIVITY PERFORMANCE INDICATOR Accurate medication history Percentage of patients, interviewed by the end of the following working day after admission. Assessment of current medication management Number of assessments of current medication management per total patient bed days. Clinical review Number of clinical reviews, per number of total patient bed days.
PHARMD GURU Page 3 Provision of medicines information to patients Percentage of patients receiving discharge medicines, who also receive medicine information. DOCUMENTATION:  This Section relates to the documentation of patient-specific clinical pharmacist activities. Documentation of the various aspects of clinical services should only be considered in situations where the information is useful and the time required in documentation does not detract from the provision of the clinical pharmacy service.  The method of documentation should be determined by the pharmacist recording the information and influenced by those assessing the information.  Time taken for both recording and assessing information documented should be reduced through developments in technology. CONCLUSION:  Quality Assurance program ensures that quality of Health care is achieved and maintained in the given clinical setting  It also provides professional satisfaction to the pharmacists  Quality Assurance should be an integral part of clinical pharmacy services.