Evaluating Pharmacy Practice in Hospital Settings in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Prescribing and Transcribing—2018

Abstract

Purpose: The aim of this study was to evaluate the prescription and transcription processes in hospital settings in Jeddah city, Saudi Arabia. Method: A customized version of the original American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) survey was distributed to a total of 26 hospitals in Jeddah city that fits our criteria starting from December 2017. Hospitals’ names were adopted from the Ministry of Health and Jeddah Municipality websites. All questionnaires were collected in June 2018. After that, they were classified according to the type of care provided by the hospital, size, ownership, teaching affiliation, and accreditation. Data were entered electronically using Google forms, and then Microsoft Excel was used to conduct descriptive statistics. Results: The survey had a response rate of 57%. A strict formulary system was adopted in 53.3% of hospitals, and clinical practice guidelines were used to optimize medication use in 86.7% of hospitals. Pharmacists do not have the authority to write medication orders in about 86.7% of hospitals and only 40.0% of hospitals have pharmacists routinely assigned to patient care units. However, Pharmacists actively provided consultation, mostly in drug information (80.0%). Computerized prescriber order entry (CPOE) is used to receive medication orders electronically in 80.0% of hospitals, and electronic health record (EHR) is used in about 53.3% of hospitals and 50.0% of those hospitals have pharmacists who document their clinical intervention in EHR. Conclusion: Survey results suggest that pharmacists in hospital settings have not yet been positioned to improve the prescribing and transcribing components of the medication-use process.

Pharmacy practice in hospital settings in GCC countries: Prescribing and transcribing

“…The survey findings indicated that less than two third of hospital pharmacies in GCC countries receive medication orders electronically, through CPOE/EHR. The finding was in contrast to other global studies, where the most common method of receiving medication orders in the pharmacies were electronically through CPOE ( Alsultan et al, 2012b , Pedersen et al, 2017 , Altyar et al, 2020 ). For example, up to 100% of hospitals in the US implement CPOE/HER systems ( Pedersen et al, 2020 ).…”

“…Several studies have undertaken surveys to assess current hospital pharmacy practices in their country or region to understand the pharmacy practice culture across different health care systems ( Doloresco and Vermeulen, 2009 , Alsultan et al, 2012a , Alsultan et al, 2012b , Alsultan et al, 2013 , Pedersen et al, 2017 , Schneider et al, 2018 , Lemay et al, 2019 , Pedersen et al, 2019 , Altyar et al, 2020 , Pedersen et al, 2020 ). These surveys assessed practices at different times and guided strategic initiatives.…”

Using Design Thinking Principles to Improve Outpatients’ Experiences in Hospital Pharmacies: A Case Study of Two Hospitals in Asir Region, Saudi Arabia

“…An evaluation of hospital pharmacy practices is essential to assure that they meet the global standards and to prioritize practice advancements [ 13 ]. An evaluation of hospital pharmacy practice was first conducted in 1998 by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) using a national survey [ 14 , 15 ]. The survey examined the role of the pharmacist in distinct stages: prescribing, transcribing, dispensing, administrating, monitoring, and educating patients.…”

“…Hospital pharmacy services in the capital city, Riyadh, were assessed previously by Alsultan and colleagues [ 14 , 16 , 17 ], while those in Jeddah were evaluated by Altayar and colleagues [ 15 ]. However, the previous studies evaluating hospital pharmacy services in Saudi Arabia utilized objective tools, surveys that did not take into consideration end-users’ needs, desires, and values.…”

Evaluating Pharmacy Practice in Hospital Settings in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia: Dispensing and Administration—2019

“…As a result of our cooperation with the ASHP, The first 2 steps of the medication use processes (prescribing and transcribing) have already been collected, studied, and published. 4 The second 2 steps of the medication use process (dispensing and administration) are the focus of this article.…”