Abstract
Background
A clinical pharmacy activity collection tool is important for improving service quality. In a London-based hospital, such a tool that was developed for use in ward-based practice has been used in all settings, including ambulatory care services. However, clinical pharmacists practicing in ambulatory care services have reported that this tool does not adequately represent their practice.
Aim
This study aimed to determine whether the existing ward-based tool accurately captured all clinical pharmacy activities undertaken in ambulatory care services.
Method
Non-participant direct observation was used to record the frequency of activities observed in ambulatory clinics and multidisciplinary meetings. These activities were compared with the existing tool to identify any discrepancies in activities. Semi-structured interviews were used to explore the views of 8 ambulatory pharmacists on the representativeness of the tool for their routine clinical activities.
Results
Twenty-nine clinical pharmacy activities were observed in the ambulatory services. Fifteen of these activities were captured by the existing tool, with monitoring of therapy and recommending therapeutic changes not accurately captured, while multidisciplinary meeting activities not comprehensively captured. Pharmacists’ responses were inclined towards the view that the tool was not completely representative with some irrelevances. The 4 common uncaptured activities were multidisciplinary meeting specific activities, arranging laboratory tests, monitoring patient outcomes during follow-up, and liaising with community healthcare professionals to coordinate care.
Conclusion
The existing ward-based clinical pharmacy activity collection tool is not completely representative of the clinical pharmacy activities undertaken in ambulatory care practice.