Drug-Related Problems Identified in a Workplace Asthma Self-Management Program

Abstract

Background/Objective: Drug-related problems (DRPs) commonly lead to many adverse outcomes in patients with asthma. The objective of this study was to identify DRPs, potential DRPs, and non-DRPs in a workplace asthma self-management program. Methods: “Inspire at Work” is a unique workplace asthma self-management program that is a partnership between Medavie Blue Cross (a benefits carrier) and 7 large employers in New Brunswick. As part of this program, a certified asthma educator conducted 4 in-depth assessments for each participant. The reports from these assessments were independently reviewed by a pharmacist-researcher to classify the drug-related problems, potential DRPs, and non-DRPs identified by the asthma educator. Results: Ninety-nine patients completed the Inspire at Work program, and 46 DRPs were identified in 34 patients. The most common types of DRPs were untreated indications (20 patients), failure to receive drugs (12 patients), and subtherapeutic dosage (11 patients). A total of 188 problems were found — an average of 1.90 problems per patient. Conclusion: A significant number of problems in the care of patients with asthma were identified as part of this workplace asthma self-management program. Further stages in this study will examine the relationship of these problems to adverse clinical outcomes and the utilization of health care resources.