SYSTEMATIC APPROACH FOR TRAINING HOSPITAL PHARMACISTS TO PRACTICE CLINICAL MEDICATION MANAGEMENT

Pdf

Author(s)

S. Walk-Fritz, T. Hoppe-Tichy

Why was it done?

To improve drug safety, it is crucial to develop and maintain core competencies in a multidisciplinary medical team. Current clinical pharmacy education may provide some exposure to ward based clinical pharmacy, but so far there is no structured prerequisite training for pharmacists practising clinical medication management.

What was done?

A training framework for clinical pharmacists practising medication management was developed and implemented. The area of activity included medication reconciliation, participation in medical rounds, discharge counseling, etc. The novel curriculum was designed in order to (1) support junior hospital pharmacists in acquiring clinical pharmacy skills, communication skills and personal skills and (2) help senior clinical pharmacists to maintain and improve their skills.

How was it done?

Senior clinical pharmacists developed a training framework:

– Initial skill adaptation for junior hospital pharmacists (eg, observe an experienced clinical pharmacist participating in medical rounds, patient case presentation and evaluation, and participation in the drug information centre).

– Maintain and improve the skills of all clinical pharmacists performing patient centred care (eg, Jour Fixe (presentation and discussion of clinical treatment guidelines, patient case presentations), journal club, supervision discussion (patient case discussion with two senior clinical pharmacists) and supervision of participation in medical rounds by senior clinical pharmacists).

What has been achieved?

The training framework has been implemented successfully with a high general acceptance. Particularly, the Jour Fixe has allowed junior staff to acquire appraisal skills and senior staff to achieve continuing professional development. The supervision discussion of patient cases has also been well appreciated as a mean of acquiring additional skills. Parts of the training programme have been implemented in the training of pharmacy interns, such as performing medication reconciliation on admission.

What next?

The implemented training programme needs to be further expanded and adapted over time. A future aim is to establish a model with the German Association of Hospital Pharmacists (ADKA) for a national systematic training module (eg, for performing medication reconciliation).