 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||||
1 Director, SIR Institute for Pharmacy Practice Research, Leiden, Netherlands;
Researcher, Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Utrecht
Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, Utrecht,
Netherlands
2 Researcher, Scientific Institute of Dutch Pharmacists, The Hague, Netherlands;
Professor, Department of Clinical Pharmacy, University Medical Centre St
Radboud, Nijmegen, Netherlands
3 Researcher, SIR Institute for Pharmacy Practice Research
4 Professor, Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Utrecht
Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University; Hospital
Pharmacist, Midden-Brabant, TweeSteden Hospital and St. Elisabeth Hospital,
Tilburg, Netherlands
Reprints: Dr. Buurma, Department of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Utrecht Institute for Pharmaceutical Sciences, Utrecht University, PO Box 80.082, 3508 TB Utrecht, Netherlands, fax 31 30 2539166, h.buurma{at}stevenshof.nl
BACKGROUND: Documentation of diseases and intolerabilities in electronic patient records (EPRs) in pharmacies is needed to produce an alert in case a contraindicated medicine is prescribed. Limited research is available concerning EPRs in pharmacies.
OBJECTIVE: To study the prevalence and quality of documentation of diseases and intolerabilities in EPRs in a sample of Dutch community pharmacies.
METHODS: Each participating pharmacy (N = 79) collected data on one day in May 2003 for each patient enrolled into the study (N = 687) concerning demographics, drug use, and documentation of diseases and intolerabilities.
RESULTS: In 57.4% of the EPRs, at least one disease and, in 7.9%, at least one intolerability was documented. Higher age, number of drugs used, and chronic disease score were associated with any documentation of a disease/intolerability in the EPR. The highest sensitivity scores (completeness) were found for diabetes (84.7%), asthma/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (strict definition: 75.9%), and hypothyroidism (75.0%). Rather low values were found for prostatic hyperplasia (55.6%) and heart failure (29.4%). The positive predictive value (reliability) was high for hypothyroidism (100%) and diabetes (87.1%).
CONCLUSIONS: In a selection of Dutch pharmacies, at least one documented disease and/or intolerability was found in the EPR of almost 60% of the patients. Certain diseases were documented to a relatively high degree; others had poorer levels of documentation. For optimal surveillance of drug-disease interactions in pharmacies, the frequency and quality of disease and intolerability documentation need further improvement.
Key Words: electronic patient record, pharmaceutical care, quality
Published Online, September 13, 2005. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1G071
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
