Assessing Student Pharmacists’ Ability to Identify Drug-Related Problems in Patients Within a Patient-Centered Medical Home

Abstract

Objective. To quantify, describe, and categorize patient drug-related problems (DRPs) and recommendations identified by fourth-year (P4) student pharmacists during a live medication reconciliation activity within a patient-centered medical home (PCMH). Methods. Fourth-year student pharmacists conducted chart reviews, identified and documented DRPs, obtained live medication histories, and immediately provided findings and recommendations to the attending physicians. Documentation of DRPs and recommendations were analyzed retrospectively. Results. Thirty-eight students completed 99 medication reconciliation sessions from June 2011 to October 2012 during their advanced pharmacy practice experience (APPE). The students obtained 676 patient medication histories and identified or intervened on 1308 DRPs. The most common DRPs reported were incomplete medication list and diagnostic/laboratory testing needed. Physicians accepted 1,018 (approximately 78%) recommendations. Conclusion. Student pharmacists successfully identified and reduced DRPs through a live medication reconciliation process within an academic-based PCMH model. Their medication history-taking skills improved and medication use was optimized.

Analysis of Drug-Related Problems Identified by Future Pharmacists in Medical Wards of Tertiary Hospitals in the State of Pahang, Malaysia

“…24 In contrast, pharmacy students in the study conducted by Armor and his colleagues reported that the incomplete medication list and the need for laboratory test were the two most common DRPs during their experiential clinical placement. 21 Notwithstanding, in a local study aimed to investigate the type of DRPs among diabetic subjects with underlying hypertension, reported that the two most common DRPs were insufficient health awareness and inappropriate drug choices. 25 The findings in our study were considered different from previous Swedish research that was carried out that revealed both inappropriate drug use and interactions were the most common DRPs identified by clinical pharmacists in a hospital setting.…”

“…15 However, the reported findings in our study are considered relatively higher in comparison with previous studies which reported 1.29, 1.53 and 1.93 DRPs per patient, respectively. 6,13,21 This shows that the frequency and type of identified DRPs may vary according to the setting. Accordingly, this variation may postulate some…”

“…20 Moreover, it has also been reported that providing pharmacy students with real-life examples, opportunities and experiences regarding medication reconciliation, history taking and medication chart reviews; has been shown to have a positive impact on their ability to identify and resolve DRPs with an overall acceptance rate exceeding 70 % based on their interventions. 21 The different aspects of experiential learning offered in pharmacy schools are fundamental in preparing future pharmacists for refining and exposure to evolving healthcare services. 22 The capability of pharmacy students to identify and analyse DRPs in this current setting is an area of increasing investigation.…”

The medication reconciliation process and classification of discrepancies: a systematic review

“…As a consequence, authors have been compelled to create their own definitions, generally based on their research objectives and method. In addition, we identified five studies that did not utilize the term medication discrepancy when describing the medication reconciliation process [24,30,[44][45][46], but instead used the terms 'DRPs or medication-related problems', 'inappropriate medication', 'prescribing error' and 'transcribing error'. It is noteworthy that the term 'medication error' has been used interchangeably with 'medication discrepancy' in several studies [40,[47][48][49][50][51][52][53][54][55][56][57].…”

The Report of the 2016-2017 Professional Affairs Standing Committee: Formally Embracing and Engaging Preceptors in the Academy — The Time Has Come

“…2 The committee reviewed previous PAC reports pertaining to preceptor training and recognition, 3,4 the role of experiential education in practice, 5 and the collaboration of academic pharmacy and pharmacy practice. 6 In addition, a review of current AACP policy revealed several policies which pertain to the 2016-2017 PAC charges:…”