Columbus Air Force Base medication profile intervention practice innovation

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether community pharmacist-initiated interventions containing a recommendation to adjust prescribed medication therapy and delivered via fax are viewed as helpful by prescribers and to what extent prescribers accept those recommendations. DesignCross-sectional. SettingColumbus Air Force Base (Columbus, MS) during a 3-month period in August through October 2007. Participants57 patient profiles were reviewed by pharmacy staff. InterventionPharmacy staff evaluated patient profiles with eight or more active medications for drug interactions, therapeutic duplications, ability to simplify complex drug regimens, and opportunities for additional therapy. After reviewing a patient profile, the pharmacist completed a medication management report, noted any recommendations about medication therapy, and faxed the report to the patient's primary care provider. Physicians were asked to return a form detailing their response to the medication management report. Main outcome measureWhether pharmacist recommendations were deemed helpful by prescribers in making clinical decisions. Secondary outcome measures included the degree to which prescribers accepted pharmacist recommendations and how quickly providers responded to pharmacist recommendations. ResultsThe pharmacist-initiated medication management fax had a 64.9% response rate from prescribers and was considered helpful by 97.3% of prescribers who returned the form to the pharmacist. In addition, the majority of prescribers stated via the form that they would address the pharmacist's concerns at the next patient visit or call and schedule an appointment with the patient. ConclusionAs this initiative continues and grows, prescribers will be more aware of the medication management fax form program and, theoretically, will be more likely to respond to pharmacist recommendations.