Frequency and trends of interventions of prescriptions in Flemish community pharmacies.
OBJECTIVE
To study the role of the community pharmacist in medication management.


METHODS
Participating Flemish pharmacists quantified their interventions during two weeks by use of validated diagrams. The clinical interventions were recorded in detail, while the technical interventions were only registered.


RESULTS
124 pharmacists participated. Intervention was needed in 4.1% of the total number of prescriptions (n = 87.647). On average, 20.2 technical and 8.4 clinical interventions over a period of 2 weeks per pharmacy were needed. The main problem was missing or incorrect data on administering the drug (23%). Missing or incorrect advice (37.8%), dose-related problems (26.1%) and interactions or contra-indications (20.2%) were mentioned as important clinical discrepancies. The pharmacists utilized the patient medication records to solve most of the problems. In one out of five cases, the physician was contacted.


CONCLUSIONS
Interventions by community pharmacists in medication management have been recorded in this study. The results should be translated into a process of integrated pharmaceutical care.
Leemans
Lies
L
Division of Drug and Patient Information, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, K.U. Leuven, Belgium. lies.leemans@farm.kuleuven.ac.be
Veroeveren
Luc
L
Bulens
Jef
J
Hendrickx
Christiane
C
Keyenberg
Williame
W
Niesten
Frie
F
Vandeberg
Jules
J
Van Hoof
Jacques
J
Laekeman
Gert
G
D003157:Community Pharmacy Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data / Q000639:trends; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008508:Medication Errors; D008875:Middle Aged; D009426:Netherlands; D010594:Pharmacies / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D012984:Software; D016312:Treatment Refusal