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Clinical Pharmacy Travel Medicine Services: A New Frontier

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Infectious Diseases, Department of Pharmacy, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region; Adjoint Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado, Denver, CO

Tammy L Humphries, PharmD

Clinical Pharmacy Specialist, Department of Pharmacy, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region; Adjoint Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado

Kent M Nelson, PharmD

Clinical Pharmacy Services Director, Department of Pharmacy, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region; Adjoint Assistant Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado

Dennis K Helling, PharmD

Executive Director, Pharmacy Operations and Therapeutics, Department of Pharmacy, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region; Adjoint Professor, School of Pharmacy, University of Colorado

Reprints: Adam B Jackson PharmD, Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region, Franklin Building—4th Floor, Infectious Diseases, 2045 Franklin St., Denver, CO 80205-5494, fax 303/831-3756, adam.jackson{at}kp.org

Travel to remote destinations has increased dramatically in recent years. The Clinical Pharmacy International Travel Clinic (CPITC) was established in 1991 in the Kaiser Permanente Colorado Region to provide pre-travel advice to members to decrease their risk of travel-related diseases. The CPITC is unique from other travel medicine clinics because it is a pharmacist-run telepharmacy service. The team includes an infectious diseases physician, an infectious diseases clinical pharmacy specialist, 4 clinical pharmacists, and a pharmacy technician. The clinical pharmacists provide consultations via telephone. Both patient- and trip-related information are gathered to assess the traveler's health risks. Recommendations are provided regarding food- and water-borne diseases, insect-borne diseases, sexually transmitted diseases, and diseases related to animal bites. Additionally, detailed information is provided on vaccines that may be needed to protect travelers against various diseases. The travel consult is documented electronically. A copy of the consult, along with a booklet that provides travel information, is mailed to the patient. Success of the CPITC is demonstrated in several ways. The clinic initially served Kaiser Permanente members in the Colorado Region. The service has expanded and now also provides travel consults to Kaiser Permanente members in the Northwest and Ohio Regions. Patient satisfaction is high, and significant cost-savings have been realized secondary to avoiding the use of unnecessary vaccinations and medications. The CPITC allows resources to be leveraged and provides one center where individuals trained in travel medicine provide information to members, thus improving efficiency and decreasing cost.

Key Words: clinical pharmacy, international travel medicine

Published Online, October 26, 2004. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1E193

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Pharmacist-Run Travel Medicine Clinic

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The Annals 2004 38: 2168-2169. [Full Text]  

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