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Clinical and Economic Effects of Pharmacy Services in a Geriatric Ambulatory Clinic
Author(s) -
Blakey Sybelle A.,
HixsonWallace Julie A.
Publication year - 2000
Publication title -
pharmacotherapy: the journal of human pharmacology and drug therapy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.227
H-Index - 109
eISSN - 1875-9114
pISSN - 0277-0008
DOI - 10.1592/phco.20.15.1198.34581
Subject(s) - pharmacist , medicine , pharmacy , ambulatory , clinical pharmacy , ambulatory care , pharmaceutical care , multidisciplinary approach , intervention (counseling) , family medicine , geriatrics , medication therapy management , drug , nursing , health care , pharmacology , psychiatry , social science , sociology , economics , economic growth
Pharmacy services were introduced in an established multidisciplinary geriatric ambulatory clinic. The pharmacist collaborated with primary care providers to optimize patients' drug regimens. Over 8 months there were 250 patient visits to the clinic. Traditional medical care was provided at 144 (57.6%) of these visits and traditional medical care plus pharmacist evaluation was provided at 106 (42.4%). The pharmacist identified 220 potential and actual drug‐related problems. Acceptance of pharmacist‐recommended changes in drug therapy was 98.6%. A mean reduction of 3.4 agents/patient was achieved in the intervention group (p<0.0001). Clinical outcomes of changes in drug therapy were neutral or positive in 99.5% of cases. Pharmacy services resulted in net savings of $7788 annually.