the value of professional pharmacist services

8/3/2019 The Value of Professional Pharmacist Services

1/10

Qais AlefanR.Ph, B.Pharm, M.Pharm, PhD


2/10

Introduction Through its impact on individual patients state of

health, pharmaceutical care improves the quality &cost-effectiveness of health care systems

Improvements at the micro-level impinge on theoverall situation at the macro-level, i.e., communitiesbenefit when individuals within them enjoy better

health

Ultimately the population at largewill also benefit assystem-wide improvements occur


3/10

Pharmacists involvement in patient-

centred care Have been associated with:

Improved health & economic outcomes

A reduction in DRPs

Improved quality of life

Reduced morbidity & mortality

Nonetheless, the potential for pharmacists to effectdramatic improvements in public health remainslargelyuntapped!


4/10

Evidence to support the value of

professional pharmacy services Benrimoj & colleagues (2000) studied the economic impact

of increased clinical intervention rates in communitypharmacy & found that:

Adequately trained & remunerated pharmacists generatedsavings six times greater than those of a control group with noaccess to the same education or remuneration

It was estimated that adequately trained & remunerated

pharmacists would save the health care system 15 millionAustralian dollars a year

Shumock & colleagues (2003) reported similar findings inthe USA


5/10

A higher salary.?!An adequate level of remuneration for pharmacists is

important to ensuring good pharmacy practice, & inparticular pharmaceutical care

However, efforts to ensure that pharmacists areadequately recompensed will require effectivedocumentation of what pharmacists actually do to

improve outcomes as well as agreement by fundersthat what they do has economic value


6/10

Classification of pharmacy practice

activities There is a need for a consistent & broadly accepted

classification of pharmacy practice activities

Until now pharmacy profession has lacked a widelyaccepted way to describe or document these activitiesin a common language

Such classification can contribute to buildingdatabases for statistically sound determinations aboutpharmacists patient-centred activities & whether theyimprove patient outcomes & the use of resources


7/10

The Pharmacy Practice Activity

Classification (PPAC) PPAC initiated by the American Pharmacists Association

(APhA)

The PPAC is focused primarily on activities of licensed,practicing pharmacists across the continuum of health caresettings

PPAC captures a range of activities from traditional

dispensing to direct patient care services

It is recognized that pharmacists occupy other roles thatare not directly related to patient care (e.g., in thepharmaceutical industry, administration, academia, etc)


8/10

The Pharmacy Practice Activity Classification

A. Ensuring appropriate therapy & outcomes1. Ensuring appropriate pharmacotherapy2. Ensuring patients understanding/adherence to his/her treatment plan3. Monitoring & reporting outcomes

B. Dispensing medications & devices1. Processing the prescription or medicine order

2. Preparing the pharmaceutical product3. Delivering the medication or device

C. Health promotion & disease prevention1. Delivering clinical preventive services2. Surveillance & reporting of public health issues

3. Promoting safe medication use in societyD. Health systems management

1. Managing the practice2. Managing medications throughout the health system3. Managing the use of medications within the health system4. Participating in research activities

5. Engaging in interdisciplinary collaboration


9/10

The benefits of consensus on a uniform

classification system Advancing the recognition of pharmaceutical care, leading to an

understanding of the value of & need for compensation for the deliveryof pharmaceutical care services

Increasing interdisciplinary links & encouraging collaboration withother health care professionals, by defining common goals & patientinterventions

Facilitating & standardizing research directed towards establishing thevalue of services in optimizing patient care

Supporting pharmacists to better manage their practices Assisting in developing quality assurance systems & quality of car

guidelines for practices

Facilitating documentation of pharmaceutical care activities incomputer-based patient record systems


10/10

the value of professional pharmacist services

Documents