Pharmacy Workload Research Articles

Measuring pharmacy clinical workload in the emergency department: Current status and a plan for action

BackgroundInpatient pharmacy productivity workload ratios historically encompass dispensing functions including numbers of medication orders verified, dispensed, and billed for and full-time equivalents (FTEs) but do not include pharmacy clinical activities. Clinical pharmacy activities are difficult to capture because they generally require manual documentation and vary among health systems. The emergency medicine pharmacists’ (EMPs) role adds additional complexity to capturing clinical activities given that bedside response and verbal recommendations are difficult to capture outside of manual documentation. It is unknown how many health systems use EMP-specific workload metrics. ObjectivesThe purpose of our survey was to determine the percentage of hospital pharmacies that use EMP-specific workload metrics, to describe workload metrics used by EMPs and to quantify time spent on clinical activities, and to describe methods for implementing EMP metrics. MethodsA 13-item questionnaire was developed, pretested, and sent to EMPs practicing in hospitals in the United States through 2 EMP national committee e-mail listservs. Survey completion online included questions on hospital characteristics, number of EMP FTEs, clinical services provided and time spent on these tasks, and current workload metrics used. ResultsFull responses to the survey were received from 100 pharmacists, with an overall response rate of 9.8%. Workload metrics specific to EMP activities were used by 15.1% of responders. Workload metrics were used but not tailored to EMP activities for 43% of responders, and 41.9% responded that no metrics were used whatsoever. Ten responders provided commentary on types of EMP activities tracked, which included bedside response for critical patients, culture callback, drug information and dosing, time to antibiotic administration, and medication histories. No universal software for metric tracking was identified. ConclusionA survey of EMP clinical services and workload metrics indicated that although 43% of responders use non-EMP-specific metrics, only 15.1% reported workload metrics that capture EMP clinical activities.

Association of education background with clinical pharmacists’ clinical pharmacy workload in tertiary hospitals of China

BackgroundWorkload of healthcare providers may affect the quality of healthcare. Practical evidences have indicated that healthcare providers are differentially associated with workload due to their different education and training background. Clinical pharmacists are an indispensable part of medical teams. Under the precondition that clinical pharmacists in China generally undertake uneven clinical pharmacy workload, the relationship of workload and clinical pharmacists’ different education backgrounds remains unclear. This study aimed to assess the association between the education background of clinical pharmacists and their clinical pharmacy workload in China.MethodsA field questionnaire survey using a stratified sampling was conducted to gather data on education background and clinical pharmacy workload through a self-developed instrument. Ordinary least squares regression was used to evaluate the association of the participants’ education background with their clinical pharmacy workload.ResultsA total of 625 clinical pharmacists from 311 tertiary hospitals in China participated. Two levels of education: less than bachelor’s degree in general pharmacy, or doctoral degree in clinical pharmacy was associated significantly with clinical pharmacy workload of the participants. Participants who had credentials of national level and provincial-level specialized training for clinical pharmacists had undertaken more work than those without. Moreover, the participants’ specialized field, such as respiratory medicine and nephrology, was associated with their clinical pharmacy workload.ConclusionEnhancing several aspects of education or training among clinical pharmacists in tertiary hospitals in China may help improve their capability to provide clinical pharmacy services. Efforts are needed to improve the education and training system of clinical pharmacists in China.

Importance of effective and accurate measurements of pharmacy workload.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles related to the COVID-19 pandemic, AJHP is posting these manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time.

Implementation of a Real-Time Medication Intake Monitoring Technology Intervention in Community Pharmacy Settings: A Mixed-Method Pilot Study.

Innovative dispensing products offering real-time medication intake monitoring are being developed to address medication non-adherence. However, implementation of these interventions within the workflow of a community pharmacy is unknown. The purpose of this study was to explore factors affecting implementation of a real-time adherence-monitoring, multidose-dispensing system in community pharmacies. A mixed-method study was conducted with pharmacy staff, who packaged and dispensed medications in smart multidose packages and monitored real-time medication intake via web-portal. Pharmacy staff participated in semi-structured interviews. The Technology Acceptance Model, Theory of Planned Behaviour and Capability, Opportunity, Motivation, Behaviour Model informed the interview guide. Interview transcripts were analyzed thematically and findings were mapped back to the frameworks. The usability was assessed by the System Usability Scale (SUS). Three pharmacists and one pharmacy assistant with a mean of 19 years of practice were interviewed. Three themes and 12 subthemes were generated. Themes included: pharmacy workflow factors, integration factors, and pharmacist-perceived patient factors. The mean SUS was found to be 80.63. Products with real-time adherence monitoring capabilities are valued by pharmacists. A careful assessment of infrastructure—including pharmacy workload, manpower and financial resources—is imperative for successful implementation of such interventions in a community pharmacy setting.

The usefulness of an ambulatory care pharmacy performance dashboard during the COVID-19 pandemic in a complex tertiary care system.

PurposeTo describe the usefulness of an innovative “semi–real-time” pharmacy dashboard in managing workload during the unpredictable coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic.SummaryWe created a pharmacy dashboard to monitor workload and key performance indicators during the dynamic COVID-19 crisis. The dashboard accessed the prescribing workload from our clinical information system and filled prescriptions from robotic prescription dispensing systems. The aggregated data was visualized using modern tools. The dashboard presents performance data in near real time and is updated every 15 minutes. After validation during the early weeks of the COVID-19 crisis, the dashboard provided reliable data and served as a great decision support aid in calculating the backlog of prescribed but unfilled prescriptions. It also aided in adjusting manpower, identifying prescribing and dispensing patterns, identifying trends, and diverting staff resources to appropriate locations. The dashboard has been useful in clearing the backlog in a timely manner, staff planning, and predicting the next coming surge so that we can proactively minimize accumulation of backlogged prescriptions.ConclusionDeveloping a dynamic, semi–real-time pharmacy dashboard during unstable circumstances such as those that have arisen during the COVID-19 pandemic can be very useful in ambulatory care pharmacy workload management.

Barriers of community pharmacists in identification and referral of presumptive tuberculosis cases in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu

BackgroundTuberculosis (TB) still continues to be a major public health threat. Early diagnosis is the cornerstone in combating TB. Community pharmacists are the front line health care providers among the health care system. The present study aimed to identify the barriers of community pharmacists in the identification and referral of presumptive pulmonary tuberculosis cases. MethodsProspective, cross-sectional study was conducted among the community pharmacists in Tiruvallur district of Tamil Nadu. One pharmacist from each pharmacy was interviewed using semi-structured questionnaire. Knowledge component, practice and barriers of identification and referral in presumptive TB cases were captured. ResultsA total of 143 pharmacists were included in the study. Barriers in identification and referral by pharmacists’ perception were patient volume (32%), pharmacy workload (22%), difficulty in identifying the cases (16%), etc. Research team also identified few barriers such as pharmacists do not have adequate knowledge about TB (34%), pharmacists are not trained enough to identify and refer presumptive TB cases (26%), etc. All the pharmacists (100%) refer the presumptive TB cases, if they come across for OTC medications. Pharmacists also provided health education to their community (45.7%). ConclusionAdequate training of community pharmacists and a follow-up system for the presumptive TB cases identified by the community pharmacist are essential in reducing the barriers of pharmacists in TB case detection.

Assessment of Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy Utilization in the Indian Health Service

The Indian Health Service (IHS) has an agreement with the US Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) that allows IHS to use the VA Consolidated Mail Outpatient Pharmacy (CMOP) to send prescriptions to IHS patients. However, there is high variability among IHS facilities in the use of CMOP. Furthermore, there is no available resource that summarizes the relative positives/negatives, challenges/opportunities, and strengths/weaknesses of implementing CMOP. A 10-item questionnaire was developed to collect information on various aspects of prescription processing through CMOP. The questionnaire was distributed among the primary CMOP contacts of IHS facilities between December 2018 and January 2019. The CMOP contacts at 44 of 94 (47%) IHS sites responded to the survey. Of the 347 respondents, 310 (89%) pharmacists were trained in CMOP prescription processing. To get information about CMOP rejections, 53% (185/347) of pharmacists check electronic messages. Twelve (27%) sites utilize technicians in some capacity in the CMOP process. Of the 16 facilities that require patients to request prescriptions to be mailed for each refill request, 8 (50%) do not use any method to designate a CMOP patient. Three sites (7%) have measured patient satisfaction with the CMOP program. Thirteen sites (31%) reported that they are losing insurance reimbursements by using CMOP. The decrease in insurance reimbursements, lengthy prescription processing time, and medication backorders are the most common challenges shared by respondents. CMOP presents unique challenges to pharmacy workflow but provides many benefits that local pharmacy mailout programs usually do not possess, such as the ability to mail refrigerated items. Furthermore, it is likely that local programs that utilize mail delivery will increase pharmacy workload. However, there is a lack of objective data to assess the net effect of CMOP on patients. Nevertheless, the successful implementation of CMOP can lead to reduced pharmacy workload while increasing access to care for patients with transportation issues.

Impacts of a Mail-Order Service for Refilling Prescriptions on Patient Satisfaction and Operational Load at a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Jordan.

Mail-order services for refilling prescriptions for medications have been established in many countries and have increased patient satisfaction. We developed a mail-order service for the outpatient pharmacy of a comprehensive cancer center in Jordan. To describe the implementation of a mail-order service and to report the impact of the service on patient satisfaction and the pharmacy workload. A multidisciplinary team was formed to plan a mail-order service for refilling prescriptions for medications, and a survey was designed to evaluate patient satisfaction with the service. Patients were instructed to call the refill call center and order their medications at least 48 hours before their refill is due. The pharmacy workflow for refilling prescriptions was evaluated, and the time required with and without the mail-order service was documented, with a calculation of the time saved. At 1 year after the mail-order service had been established, 14200 prescriptions had been refilled through the service, with the majority (97.5%) dispensed within 48 hours of the order time. As per the survey conducted with 219 patients, on the overall satisfaction, 69.4% reported being highly satisfied with the service and 27.9% reported being satisfied. The problems reported with the service were delay in arrival (n = 23, 10.5%), medication-related errors (n = 9, 4.1%), cash-related error (n = 1, 0.45%), improper storage condition (n = 1, 0.45%), and delivery to the wrong address (n = 4, 1.8%). The service was also associated with reduced overall time for processing in the outpatient pharmacy service; for patients receiving their medications from the pharmacy, resulting in reduced patients' overall waiting time (from 11.4 to 8.2 minutes). The service resulted in saving of 0.4 full-time employee at 1 year of implementation. A mail-order service for refilling prescriptions within a hospital setting had positive outcomes on both patient satisfaction and the pharmacy workflow. The major issues were related to transportation and logistics.

A Reflective Assignment Assessing Pharmacy Students’ Interprofessional Collaborative Practice Exposure During Introductory Pharmacy Practice Experiences

Objective. To assess the effectiveness of a required reflective writing assignment to document students' exposure to and experience with interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) during introductory pharmacy practice experiences (IPPEs). Methods. Pharmacy students completed the assignment during their community or institutional pharmacy IPPE and electronically submitted their written reflections. Twelve codes were created to indicate opportunities, barriers, and patient-centered care identified in the community pharmacy reflections. Fourteen codes were created to indicate interprofessional communication, roles, patient-centered care, and teamwork identified in the institutional pharmacy reflections. The reflections were then qualitatively analyzed to identify and code themes related to IPCP. Results. Two hundred twenty-eight reflections were submitted. Exposure to an observed IPCP was described in 51% of the community pharmacy reflections and in 100% of the institutional pharmacy reflections. Identified opportunities to improve IPCP in community pharmacy were extended pharmacy services, expanded networking and relationships, making more phone calls to other health professionals, and greater use of technology. The identified barriers to IPCP in community pharmacy were difficulty accessing patient health data, lack of direct access to prescribers, hierarchy, pharmacy workload, and lack of timely communication. The identified themes that impacted IPCP in institutional settings included dysfunctional communication, technology use, mutual respect, role overlap, teamwork, nonphysician leadership, and personal relationships. Conclusion. Implementing a reflective assignment during IPPEs was an effective way to document student exposure to and experience in IPCP in two types of pharmacy practice settings and helped to meet pharmacy accreditation standards of having IPE included in early experiential education settings.

Implementation of a centralized mail-order pharmacy service.

The development and implementation of centralized mail-order pharmacy services in an academic healthcare system are described. The use of mail-order pharmacy services continues to increase, as mail-order services offer patient benefits such as reduced copayments and improved clinical outcomes. Prior to undertaking an initiative to improve its mail-order pharmacy services, the University of Utah Health system's pharmacy department offered decentralized mail-order pharmacy services at all of its retail pharmacies, but there was no standardized process for processing mail-order prescriptions or providing phone support to mail-order patients. Centralized mail-order pharmacy services were developed and implemented by creating (1) a standard process for mail-order pharmacy services, (2) a centralized mail-order prescription filling center, and (3) a call center to support mail-order pharmacy services. Implementation of centralized mail-order pharmacy services resulted in an almost 50% reduction in time spent by pharmacy team members on mail-order prescription filling and packaging tasks. Use of a central call center resulted in a decreased call abandonment rate and contributed to a decreased pharmacy workload resulting from an overall reduction in call volume due to an increased rate of first-call issue resolution. Establishment of a centralized mail-order pharmacy service along with operational and infrastructure improvements resulted in improved quality and regulatory compliance and enhanced labor efficiency and patient communication.

Pharmacy interns’ perceptions of knowledge and skills required for delivery of patient care services

ObjectivesTo explore how pharmacy interns’ training experiences during internship influence understanding and confidence about preparation for providing patient care services in a large community pharmacy chain. MethodsA descriptive survey design using a census sample of the 98 pharmacy interns, aged 18 years and older, employed in 52 pharmacies of one community pharmacy chain was conducted. Training experiences influencing understanding and confidence were evaluated with the use of a 38-question survey instrument developed with a focus group of pharmacy interns and distributed via Qualtrics over a period of 12 weeks. Responses were stored in Qualtrics and analyzed with the use of SAS version 9.4. ResultsThirty-four surveys were returned, for a response rate of 35%, with a 20% response rate for all of the questions. Pharmacy interns who completed the American Pharmacist Association “Delivering Medication Therapy Management Services” certificate training program were more likely to agree with statements evaluating understanding (P < 0.02) and confidence (P < 0.09) in completing a comprehensive medication review and less likely to indicate a need for training (P < 0.02). Pharmacy interns have a greater understanding and confidence incorporating immunizations into workflow (both 85%). They also have a greater understanding and confidence in using Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices/Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines for immunization recommendations (90% and 85%, respectively). Pharmacy interns reported that they did not have a strong understanding of and confidence level in providing other patient care services, including medication therapy management services, clinical queue, and point-of-care testing. Survey respondents reported a desire for additional training in these areas. ConclusionAlthough pharmacy interns have a greater understanding of how to incorporate immunizations into pharmacy workload and use immunization guidelines, levels of understanding and confidence in providing other patient care services were not as strong. Future development of training for patient care services may help to increase pharmacy intern understanding and confidence.

Implementation study of an intermediate medication review in Belgian community pharmacies.

The Association of Pharmacists in Belgium (APB) and local pharmacy associations launched a pilot project in collaboration with research teams from three Belgian universities to study the impact and implementation-related issues of a medication review (MR) service type 2a in Belgian community pharmacies. The aim of this paper is to describe the implementation process of the MR service and to present the implementation evaluation of the pilot study (testing stage). The pilot project was a prospective observational study using mixed methods. The implementation evaluation was based on the RE-AIM model and the framework for the implementation of services in pharmacy (FISpH). Collected implementation outcomes were classified into four dimensions: reach, adoption, implementation and intent of maintenance. During the testing stage, 80 pharmacies participated in the study, but 25 dropped out (31%), mainly because of a reported lack of time (adoption). The 55 remaining pharmacies included 457 patients. Recruiting patients into the service was challenging for pharmacists as 48.5% of patients refused the pharmacists' proposal (reach). Internal organizational factors were major barriers for pharmacists, followed by the lack of adoption by the pharmacy team. Large pharmacies in which pharmacy owner led the project were observed to be more proactive in implementing the MR service by integrating organizational strategies to assist the implementation process (implementation). Interviewed pharmacists perceived this new service as a professionally satisfying activity. Among participating pharmacists, 92.5% found this service feasible in practice, but believed it required adapted resources to reorganize the internal pharmacy workload, additional support, such as broad-based media campaigns to increase physicians' and patients' awareness and attitudes towards the service, and modified software (maintenance). The medication review service was implemented in 68% of participating pilot Belgian community pharmacies but would require adapted resources and supports for larger scale implementation.

Perencanaan Tenaga Teknis Kefarmasian Berdasarkan Analisis Beban Kerja Menggunakan Metode WISN di RSIA KM

Human Resources is one of the central factors that drive quality hospital services. Human Resource Planning of pharmaceutical technicians at RSIA KM posed risks to service performance. The objective of this cross sectional study was to analyze the pharmacy staff requirements and workload using Workload Indicators of Staffing Need (WISN) method based on real time activity standards for each workload. RSIA KM had 4 existing pharmacy technicians. Based on the WISN analysis, the results of the study should WISN ratio 0.49 or ≤ 1.00 which means there was a lack of pharmaceutical staff. The ideal number of pharmaceutical staff should be 8.08 or 8 staff. In response, RSIA KM recruited 4 pharmacy technicians. Implication for job enrichment and recruitment are discussed. Keywords : human resource planning, WISN (workload indicators of staffing need), pharmaceutical technical staff

Pharmacy staffing, workload, and productivity benchmarks in state psychiatric hospitals.

Current benchmark statistics on staffing, workload, and productivity in hospital pharmacy departments of state psychiatric hospitals are described and assessed by hospital size. An electronic survey of state psychiatric hospitals was conducted. Hospitals were categorized based on number of occupied beds. Descriptive statistics using Student's t tests, Pearson's chi-square tests, and Pearson's correlation coefficients were used to characterize the data and compare productivity by hospital size. Responses were received from 41 of 116 hospitals, yielding a response rate of 35.3%. Respondent hospitals did not differ from nonrespondents based on demographic data. Average inpatient census, patient days per year, expenditures, and workload were found to correlate positively with hospital size (r = 0.381-0.991, p < 0.05). Over 30% of hospitals reported using no indicators to monitor pharmacy productivity. Productivity ratios differed between very small-small and medium-large hospital groups: mean pharmaceutical expenditures per 100 occupied beds and per 1,000 patient days (p = 0.017 and 0.05, respectively), mean full-time equivalents (FTEs) per 1,000 doses dispensed or administered per month and per 100 occupied beds (p = 0.042 and 0.026, respectively), and mean pharmacist and technician FTEs per 100 occupied beds (p = 0.012 and 0.019, respectively). A survey of pharmacies in state psychiatric hospitals provided metrics data on staffing, workload, and productivity that may be used as benchmarks in efforts to improve workforce efficiency, pharmaceutical care services, and financial performance.

Proactive medicines management supports more patient centric services

Introduction (context and problem statement): The current New Zealand (NZ) Health System is under pressure as our population ages and the burden of long-term conditions (LTC) such as diabetes, heart disease and dementia grows. LTC consume a vast amount of resources in NZ – both in terms of direct health care and the indirect costs on society as a whole. Short description of practice change implemented: Waimauku Pharmacy is committed to continuous quality improvement in all that we do. Over the past two years, we have evaluated and have been optimising our workflow and business design to deliver innovative patient—centred care. Aim and theory of change: Waimauku Pharmacy’s aim has been to redesign our model of care and Medicines Management Services (MMS) to deliver proactive, quality, patient-centred care to patients and whaanau. Our critical success factors have been: Collaboration with primary care team Redesign of workflow and model of care Making better use of pharmacist and technicians unique skills set Adapting smart IT systems including robotic dispensing and Whanau Tahi Shared Care Targeted population and stakeholders Target population- Patients and whaanau with long term conditions/high needs Stakeholders- Patients, community pharmacists, technicians, GPs, nurses and other members of patients care team Timeline: Our improvement journey started 2 years ago and it has been continuously reviewed, improved, modified and added too as time goes on. Highlights (innovation, impact and outcomes): Placing the patient at the centre of care has enabled us to support them proactively to manage their medicines better. Over the improvement journey, we have already seen many benefits, such as: Increased collaboration amongst Primary Care team members Ability to enrol more patients (from 70-190 patients in 2 years) into Medications Management Service as a result of efficiencies in dispensing and medication management workflows Major quality and safety contributions from medicines reconciliation for at-risk patients Better management of pharmacy staff and workload meaning more time spent working with the patient Created a Health Literate workplace Pharmacists and technicians working at the top of our scope of practice Comments on sustainability: Our key has been to plan in collaboration with staff from the pharmacy and GP practice so that we had buy-in and engagement throughout the journey. It was also important to communicate openly and regularly and provide on-going support and opportunity for feedback. Our objectives also align with the NZ Health Strategic vision of empowering people to ‘live well, get well, stay well’, closer to home. Comments on transferability We feel that our service model can be adapted by any committed pharmacy and primary care team. Conclusions: As IT ability has expanded, and as the business environment has changed and staff have developed confidence and respect for each other’s skills we have truly innovated the way we provide care to our patients and whaanau. We value spending more time getting to know our patients, really understanding their needs and have been able to offer more services targeted towards higher-needs patients.

Alternative Outpatient Chemotherapy Scheduling Method to Improve Patient Service Quality and Nurse Satisfaction.

Optimal scheduling and calendar management in an outpatient chemotherapy unit is a complex process that is driven by a need to focus on safety while accommodating a high degree of variability. Primary constraints are infusion times, staffing resources, chair availability, and unit hours. We undertook a process to analyze our existing management models across multiple practice settings in our health care system, then developed a model to optimize safety and efficiency. The model was tested in one of the community chemotherapy units. We assessed staffing violations as measured by nurse-to-patient ratios throughout the workday and at key points during treatment. Staffing violations were tracked before and after the implementation of the new model. The new model reduced staffing violations by nearly 50% and required fewer chairs to treat the same number of patients for the selected clinic day. Actual implementation results indicated that the new model leveled the distribution of patients across the workday with an 18% reduction in maximum chair utilization and a 27% reduction in staffing violations. Subsequently, a positive impact on peak pharmacy workload reduced delays by as much as 35 minutes. Nursing staff satisfaction with the new model was positive. We conclude that the proposed optimization approach with regard to nursing resource assignment and workload balance throughout a day effectively improves patient service quality and staff satisfaction.

Pharmacy Workload and Workforce Requirements at MOH Primary Health Care Center during Ten years Mass Gathering Hajj (2006-2015) in Makah Region, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the pharmacy technician workload analysis and workforce requirements at Ministry of Health Primary health care centers during mass gathering Hajj ten years (2006-2015), Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a retrospective of ten years (2006-2015) of primary health care center (PCC) pharmacy technician workload during mass gathering Hajj period. The duration of workload collection was 15 days. The pharmacy technician prepares medications and provide pharmaceutical for dispensing through the pharmacist all patients either Pilgrim or not Pilgrim at Makah region. It included Mona holy places hospitals; Arafat holy places hospitals, and Makah city. The workforce requirements calculated based on MOH workforce standards of primary health care center and the workload drives as central pharmacy technician services, patient specific pharmacy technician activities, and general administration specific pharmacy technician activities. Results: The total number of pilgrims (1,952,817-3,161,573) with average (2,445,208). The total number of prescriptions (226,824-505,753) with average (411,317), it represented (7.12-20.25%) with average (16.77%) of all pilgrims. The average number PCC prescription at holy places were (275,820) and (138,388.40) from Makah city. The average number of pharmacy technician needed (12.46FTE) per each PCC at holy places, and (13.99 FTE) per each PCC at Makah city with a total number of pharmacy technician was (26.45 FTE) per each PCC. The grand average number of pharmacist based on MOH standards for PCC was (1725.86 FTE) while the mean number pharmacy technician needed based on workload was (135.7 FTE) for all PCC. Conclusion: There is very high demand of pharmacy technician workforces during mass gathering Hajj time at primary health care center in Makka region. Targeting to change pharmacy technician workforces MOH standards requirements improve pharmacy technician services at primary care centers provided to all pilgrims in Makka region, Saudi Arabia. Key words: Pharmacy technician, Workload, Workforces, Primary care center, Mass Gathering, Hajj, Makka, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia

Pharmaceutical Care Workload and Human Resources Requirements at MOH Primary Health Care Center Over Nine years Mass Gathering Hajj (2006-2014) in Al-Medina Region, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the pharmacy services workload analysis and workforce requirements at Ministry of Health Primary care center during mass gathering Hajj nine years (2006-2014) in Al-Medina Region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a retrospective analysis of nine years (2006-2014) of primary care center pharmacies workload during mass gathering Hajj period. The duration of workload collection was 15-30 days. The pharmacist and pharmacy technicians provide pharmaceutical to all patients either Pilgrim or not Pilgrim at Al-Medina region. The workforce requirements calculated based on MOH workforce standards per primary care centers (PCC), the workload drives as central pharmacy services, patient specific pharmacy activities, and general administration specific pharmacy activities. Results: The total number of Pilgrims (1,952,817-3,161,573) with average (2,445,208) and with an average of (210,765.91) pilgrims visited each primary care center. The average number of pharmacist needed based on MOH standard was (66.67 FTE), while the mean number pharmacist required based on workload was (1,183.99 FTE). It is (17.76 fold) more incremental than MOH pharmacist workforce standards. Conclusion: The pharmacy workload analysis reflects the real demand of pharmacist during mass gathering Hajj period in Al-Medina Region. Targeting to update the MOH standards of primary care center pharmacy workforces during mass gathering Hajj time is required in Al-Madina region in Saudi Arabia. Key word: Pharmaceutical Care, Workload, Workforces, Primary Care Center, Mass Gathering, Hajj, Al-Medina, Ministry Of Health, Saudi Arabia.

Pharmaceutical Care Workload and Human Resources Requirements at MOH Hospitals during Nine years Mass Gathering Hajj (2006-2014) in Al-Madina Region, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the pharmaceutical care workload analysis and workforce requirements at Ministry of Health Hospitals during mass gathering Hajj nine years (2006-2014) in Al-Madina Region, Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a retrospective of nine years (2006-2014) of hospital pharmacies workload during mass gathering Hajj period. The duration of workload collection was 15-30 days each year. The pharmacists provide pharmaceutical to all patients either Pilgrim or not Pilgrim at Madina region. The workforce requirements calculated based on MOH workforce standards per bed and the workload drives as central pharmacy services, patient specific pharmacy activities, and general administration specific pharmacy activities. Results: The total number of Pilgrims (1,952,817-3,161,573) with average (2,445,208). The total number of prescriptions was (22,278-133,107) with an average of (78,955). It represented (1.07-5.02%) with an average (3.11%) of all pilgrims. The average number of pharmacist needed (6.41 FTE) for inpatient services per hospital, (22.96 FTE) for Emergency services per hospital, and (109.02 FTE) for Ambulatory care services per hospital. The average number of pharmacist calculated per hospital was (29.5 FTE), while the mean number pharmacist needed to base on workload for all services was (24.4 FTE) per hospital. There were not any central pharmacy activities, and clinical pharmacy services or administrative pharmacy activities. Conclusion: The pharmacy workload analysis reflects the real demand of pharmacist. Despite clinical pharmacy, activities missed with emphasis on inpatient clinical pharmacy programs; there is acceptable of number of pharmacists compared to MOH standards during mass gathering Hajj period in Al-Madina Region in Saudi Arabia. Key word: Pharmaceutical Care, Workload, Workforces, Mass Gathering, Hajj, Al-Madina, Ministry Of Health, Saudi Arabia.

Pharmacy Workload and Workforce Requirements at MOH Hospitals during Ten years Mass Gathering Hajj (2006-2015) in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia

Purpose: To explore the pharmaceutical care services workload analysis and human resources requirements at Ministry of Health Hospitals during mass gathering Hajj ten years (2006-2015), Saudi Arabia. Methods: It is a retrospective of ten years (2006-2015) of hospital pharmacies workload during mass gathering Hajj period. The duration of workload collection was 15 days. The pharmacists provide pharmaceutical to all patients either Pilgrim or not Pilgrim at Makkah region. It included Mona holy places hospitals; Arafa holy places hospitals, and Makkah city. The workforce requirements calculated based on MOH workforce standards per bed and the workload drives as central pharmacy services, patient specific pharmacy activities, and general administration specific pharmacy activities. Results: The total number of Pilgrims (1,952,817- 3,161,573) with average of (2,445,208). The total number of prescriptions (99,886-257,545) with average (180,120), it represented (5.11-12.07%) with average (7.86%) of all pilgrims. The average number of pharmacist needed (9.49 FTE) for inpatient services per hospital, (48.85 FTE) for Emergency services per hospital, and (21.85 FTE) for Ambulatory care services per hospital. The average number of pharmacist based on Ministry of Health standards calculation per hospital was (37.1 FTE), while the mean number pharmacist needed to base on workload for all services was (80.19 FTE) per hospital. It is (2.16 fold) more incremental than MOH pharmacist workforce standards per bed. There were not any central pharmacy activities, and clinical pharmacy services or administrative pharmacy activities. Conclusion: The Workload analysis of pharmaceutical care services as a part of TQM indicators during mass gathering Hajj. Clinical pharmacy activities missed with emphasis on patient-specific clinical pharmacy. There is a high demand for pharmacists’ workforce during mass gathering Hajj period in Makkah Region, Saudi Arabia. Key word: Pharmacy, Workload, Workforces, Mass Gathering, Hajj, Makkah, Ministry of Health, Saudi Arabia.