Documentation of Student Pharmacists' Interventions from Medication Histories in a Primary Care Setting

Abstract

Background: Medication safety is a major concern in primary care. Documented interventions by clinical pharmacists have shown positive clinical outcomes. In addition, it has been shown that student pharmacists have positive outcomes when participating in their advanced pharmacy practice experiences (APPEs). Most of this documentation has taken place in hospital settings. No data are available regarding interventions performed when APPE students record medication histories prior to a primary care provider (PCP) appointment. Objective: To describe the number and types of interventions made by APPE students in recording medication histories and to describe PCP acceptance rates. Methods: This prospective study documented the interventions from medication histories by 2 APPE students. With faculty supervision, the students recorded medication histories and vital signs prior to patient appointments with their PCPs. This was done approximately 1.5 days/week. Recommendations to the PCP were made verbally prior to the patient examination. Type of recommendation made, patient demographics, and PCP acceptance were documented. Descriptive statistics were employed. Results: Over 6 weeks, 109 interventions were documented. The mean ± SD patient age was 61.8 ± 14.94 years. The most common interventions documented were laboratory monitoring (22.0%), drug information (17.4%), and patient education (14.7%). Of the applicable interventions, 69% (49/71) were accepted by the PCP. Conclusions: APPE students in this clinic provided a variety of recommendations following completion of medication histories. A majority of the interventions were accepted. Such data demonstrate the benefit of including APPE students in patient care.