Provision of Hospital Pharmacy Services for Clinical Drug Trials

Abstract

ABSTRACTAimTo explore Australian hospital pharmacy services provided to clinical drug trials in 2007; and to compare the results with data from similar surveys conducted in 1989 and 1994.MethodQuestionnaires were sent to pharmacy managers of 301 public and private Australian hospitals.Results164 hospitals responded to the survey. The response rate (55%), demographics and number of hospitals conducting clinical drug trials (75%) did not differ significantly in 1989, 1994 and 2007. However, the number of hospital pharmacies reporting 30 or more clinical drug trials had more than tripled between 1989 (n = 11) and 2007 (n = 38). From 1994 to 2007 there was a 300% increase in the number of pharmacy departments who reported spending 20 hours/week or more on clinical trials. In 1994 and 2007, pharmacy departments with 30 or more clinical trials reported that they had a dedicated clinical trials pharmacist. By 2007, most hospital pharmacies (70%) were funded for over 50% of their clinical trials; a significant increase from 5% in 1989 and 32% in 1994. Most hospital pharmacies (78%) dispensed more than 75% of the investigational drugs within their hospitals. Pharmacist involvement in the review of trial protocols by membership of institutional human research ethics committees had tripled between 1989 (n = 14) and 2007 (n = 43).ConclusionSpecialisation and expertise to conduct clinical drug trials by hospital pharmacists is recognised by their increased involvement with human research ethics committees, increased funding to pharmacies, more specialist clinical trial pharmacists, and pharmacists dispensing drugs for clinical trials conducted in hospitals.