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Ambulatory Pharmaceutical Care:

Drug Information and Medication Use Evaluation

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© 2005 University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics Department of Pharmaceutical Care

Pharmacy Staff Development, Research & Teaching


The Department of Pharmaceutical Care offers a wide range of clinical services to acute care, ambulatory care and home care patients.  In addition, the Department provides educational experiences for Pharm.D. students and pharmacy residents.  Pharmacists are an integral member of the health care team at UIHC where numerous clinical and other specialty practice opportunities are provided.

Pharmacy Staff Development Programs

The Department of Pharmaceutical Care provides education to department staff members on drug-related topics by a variety of mechanisms including live formal presentations, daily Acute Care Clinical Pharmacotherapy Conferences, and articles published in departmental and UIHC newsletters. The department also offers a series of formal pharmacotherapy programs for pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to enhance competency associated with the prescribing, preparation, and monitoring of new and complex drug regimens. ACPE-accredited continuing education credits are provided (free of charge) to all staff for their participation in these programs.

Educational Offerings for Other UIHC Staff

Pharmacist supervisor presenting nursing orientation

Department of Pharmaceutical Care staff educate other UIHC staff members about medication-use issues through a variety of live presentation and printed materials. These include:

  • The New Nurse Orientation Program, a classroom session offered twice-monthly to new UIHC staff nurses. These sessions are devoted to providing critical information about the Department of Pharmaceutical Care and its many services.

  • New Housestaff and Clinical Faculty Orientation, an orientation program for all new resident housestaff and clinical faculty. One segment of the program is devoted to issues related to pharmacy services and the prescribing of controlled substances.

  • Patient Care Unit Inservices, during which subjects of interest or subjects related to new medications, changes in procedures, or new medication use evaluation protocols are presented to patient care unit nursing staff on an as needed or as requested basis.

  • Newsletters, such as the P&T News, a bimonthly publication about important medication-use topics provided in cooperation with the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Subcommittee; Rx Update, a monthly publication provided to members of the UIHC Nursing staff which contains useful information about new drugs and other medication-related topics; and The Bottom Line, distributed to medical staff members to increase the visibility of many Medication Use Evaluation initiatives and formulary decisions whose implementation is based on cost-savings strategies.

Research-related Activities

Research is a key component of the missions of both the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics and the Department of Pharmaceutical Care. Pharmacy staff actively participate in pharmacy practice-related and drug use-related research at the national, state, and local levels. This is accomplished through direct investigational endeavors, organizational and committee work, public presentations, and publication of original work in the professional literature.

Some key examples of this participation include:

  • Department participation in national meetings and conferences (such as those sponsored by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists and the University Hospital Consortium) which advance pharmacy practice.
  • Several members of the staff serve as reviewers, column editors, and journal editorial board members for several pharmacy peer-reviewed journals.
  • Provision of numerous live presentations and submission of articles, manuscripts, and editorials to national publications.
  • Active participation in the review of drug-related investigational studies submitted to the University of IowaÕs Investigational Review Board (IRB) and the UIHCÕs Pharmacy and Therapeutics Subcommittee.
  • Sponsoring research initiatives spearheaded by pharmacy practice residents and specialized pharmacy residents
  • Participation in ongoing research projects, including:
  • A Study of the Effect of an Automated Medication Dispensing System on Medication Errors

Student Teaching for the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy

 

Pharmacist with a pharmacy student during a rotation

 

The Department of Pharmaceutical Care serves as a major teaching site for University of Iowa College of Pharmacy students. Pharmacy staff participate in the clinical and experiential training of Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) students. Approximately 175 to 200 five-week clerkship and externship rotations are provided to these students annually.

Pharmacy student rotations at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics offer a diverse array of professional experiences in ambulatory care, acute (inpatient) care, and administrative services (e.g., medication use evaluation; drug information) training sites.

Additional information about the University of Iowa College of Pharmacy.

Pharmacy Residency Programs

Pharmacy resident conferring with Pharmacist preceptor

The Department of Pharmaceutical Care has operated a pharmacy residency program since 1946. Through its American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) accredited programs, the department provides training for six to seven Pharmacy Practice Residents per year. In addition, specialized residencies were initiated in July 1995; since then, programs in Infectious Diseases, Hematology/Oncology, Cardiology, Pharmacy Administration, Drug Information/Pharmaceutical Informatics, and Primary Care have been offered. Graduates from these programs have gone on to key clinical and pharmacy leadership positions throughout the U.S.


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Last modification date:  11/08/2005 09:17:52 PM