title: Effect of pharmacists on health care outcomes in hospitalized patients.
abstract: The cost-effectiveness of pharmacists and their effect on inpatient health care outcomes were evaluated. For one year, data were collected on all patients receiving care from general medicine and general surgery teams at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, Washington, D.C. Two of five medicine teams and one of three surgery teams included a pharmacist. Teams that included a pharmacist were compared with teams that did not, in terms of patients' length of stay (LOS), mortality, and drug cost per admission. Data were compared for 3081 patients and collected for another 557 who were not included in the comparative study design. Health care teams that included a pharmacist had a shorter log LOS and lower log drug cost per admission but no difference in mortality. The average cost savings for teams that included a pharmacist was $377 per inpatient admission, and the benefit-to-cost ratio was 6.03:1. The inclusion of pharmacists on health care teams was cost-effective and provided a favorable benefit-to-cost ratio.
authors.affiliation: College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, Des Moines, IA.
authors.forename: D C
authors.initials: DC
authors.lastname: Bjornson
authors.forename: W O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Hiner
authors.forename: R P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Potyk
authors.forename: B A
authors.initials: BA
authors.lastname: Nelson
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Lombardo
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Morton
authors.forename: L V
authors.initials: LV
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: B P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Martin
authors.forename: R G
authors.initials: RG
authors.lastname: Sikora
authors.forename: F A
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Cammarata
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D003953:Diagnosis-Related Groups; D004219:District of Columbia; D005260:Female; D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010043:Outcome and Process Assessment, Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000191:economics / Q000592:standards* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011446:Prospective Studies