Assuntos
Substâncias Controladas/normas , Atenção à Saúde/normas , Controle de Medicamentos e Entorpecentes , Guias como Assunto/normas , Farmácia/normas , Substâncias Controladas/efeitos adversos , Atenção à Saúde/métodos , Controle de Medicamentos e Entorpecentes/métodos , Pessoal de Saúde/normas , Humanos , Farmácia/métodos , Transtornos Relacionados ao Uso de Substâncias/prevenção & controleAssuntos
Instituições de Assistência Ambulatorial/legislação & jurisprudência , Custos de Medicamentos/legislação & jurisprudência , Indústria Farmacêutica/legislação & jurisprudência , Instituições de Assistência Ambulatorial/economia , Redução de Custos/legislação & jurisprudência , Redução de Custos/métodos , Indústria Farmacêutica/economia , Humanos , Reembolso Diferenciado/legislação & jurisprudência , Estados Unidos , United States Health Resources and Services Administration , VirginiaRESUMO
PURPOSE: An educational program for pharmacists in a multifacility health care setting is described. SUMMARY: The expansion of pharmacy services at a university medical center from a centralized to a decentralized, unit-based model created the need for enhanced education of staff pharmacists. A steering committee with pharmacy department and school of pharmacy representation surveyed educational and professional needs related to the expanded services. Pharmacists indicated that they needed an educational program that was comprehensive, interactive, and accessible to all shifts. Pharmacy school clinical faculty members provided most of the initial educational sessions, which combined didactic presentations and case-based discussion. The needs survey was used in selecting topics that were most relevant to the pharmacists' expanded practice. Each major topic was covered in a series of one-hour sessions held at two-week intervals and scheduled at a time convenient for afternoon-shift pharmacists. Incentives were offered to encourage participation. The live presentations were recorded with video-streaming technology and made available via the Internet to pharmacists on all shifts in all facilities of the health system as well as to faculty members. Since program implementation in 2005, attendance at the live sessions has averaged 25. In postimplementation surveys, pharmacists indicated that the program was meeting their needs and improving patient care. Since 2008, pharmacists have been able to earn continuing-education (CE) credit for the sessions. CONCLUSION: A collaborative educational series with online access, clinical content, and CE credit has been effective in meeting pharmacists' needs in a multifacility health care setting.