Development, implementation, and evaluation of a multicenter pharmaceutical care outcomes study.
OBJECTIVE
To: (1) develop a pharmaceutical care multicenter outcomes research project using clinical pharmacy residents and preceptors; (2) develop two research protocols to document pharmacists' impact on clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes of therapy; (3) develop and implement a data collection process and methodology for outcomes research; (4) evaluate the effectiveness of the multicenter outcomes research process; and (5) prepare clinical pharmacy preceptors and residents to conduct outcomes research.


METHODS
Two research protocols were developed, each a randomized, parallel, open-label evaluation of patients at 10 Department of Veterans Affairs and 1 university medical center. One protocol focused on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and the other on patients with hypertension. The study evaluated pharmacists' management of these two patient groups.


METHODS
133 patients with hypertension and 98 patients with COPD; 33 pharmacy directors and preceptors; 45 pharmacy residents.


METHODS
Clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes of pharmacists' interventions. The processes of developing a multicenter outcomes study were evaluated, including the data collection process.


RESULTS
The two study protocols and an educational program for study participants were developed. A data collection process was developed and implemented, with the paper process being successful and the computer data collection process not implemented due to time constraints. Overall, the multicenter outcomes research process was successful.


CONCLUSIONS
The study provides a framework of processes and sites for the future development of other outcomes research studies. Clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes are reported in Parts 2 and 3.
College of Pharmacy, University of Tennessee, Memphis 38163, USA. dgourley@utmem1.utmem.edu
D R
DR
Gourley
G A
GA
Gourley
D K
DK
Solomon
T S
TS
Portner
G E
GE
Bass
J M
JM
Holt
R L
RL
Braden
N
N
Rawls
W R
WR
Wicke
J
J
Ogden
B
B
Lawrence
D003625:Data Collection / Q000379:methods; D006787:Hospitals, Veterans; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000188:drug therapy; D008173:Lung Diseases, Obstructive / Q000188:drug therapy; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States