During patient
care rounds with the medical team, pharmacy students have made
positive contributions for the benefit of the patient. However,
very little has been documented regarding the impact these future
healthcare professionals are making while on clinical rotations.
The objective of this study was to assess the impact that clinical
interventions made by 6th year pharmacy students had on overall
patient outcome.
Using a special program for a personal digital assistant (PDA),
the students daily recorded the pharmacotherapeutic interventions
they made. The interventions ranged from dosage adjustments to
providing drug information. Data was collected over a 12-week
period from various hospitals and clinics in the Jacksonville,
Florida area.
In total, there were 89 pharmaceutical interventions performed
and recorded by the students. Fifty interventions involved drug
modification and fifty-four interventions were in regards to drug
information and consulting. Of the drug information and consulting
interventions, 15 were drug modification.
This study shows the impact pharmacy students make in identifying,
recommending, and documenting clinical pharmacotherapeutic interventions.
Similar to pharmacists, pharmacy students can also have a positive
contribution towards patient care.
Keywords:
Students, Pharmacy,
Medical Records. Treatment Outcome. United States.
