A mixed methods evaluation of a patient care clinic located within a pharmacy school

Abstract

Background The Medication Assessment Center is a faculty and student run patient care clinic located within the pharmacy school at the University of Saskatchewan (Canada). It was created as a novel experiential education site for pharmacy students and to provide clinical pharmacist services for complex patients who have trouble accessing services elsewhere. Objective To determine if the clinical services provided by faculty and students at the Medication Assessment Center are valuable to patients who are referred to the program. Setting The Medication Assessment Center, which is faculty and student run patient care clinic. Method Convergent mixed methods design comprised of a retrospective patient chart audit and a paper based patient experience survey. All patients who attended at least one appointment at the Medication Assessment Center between March 1, 2014 and July 31, 2015 were included in the chart audit. All new patients who were referred between April 1, 2015 and October 26, 2015 were included in the survey. Main outcome measures Recommendations made by the pharmacist and patient experience survey indicators. Results 173 patients were included in the chart audit, which found that patients were elderly (64.8 years), highly medically complex (13.8 medications and 6.5 diagnoses each), and had a large number of recommendations made by the pharmacist to adjust drug therapy (6.2 per patient). 121 questionnaires were mailed to patients with a response rate of 66.9 % (n = 81). The survey found high levels of support and satisfaction for the program, including more than half of patients (59.2 %) who reported that their health had improved as a result of the Medication Assessment Center. Conclusion The patient care and experiential education program offered by the Medication Assessment Center provides a valuable service to patients who are referred to the clinic.

Keywords: Canada; Clinical experiences; Experiential training; Medication assessment; Medication therapy management; Pharmacy education; Pharmacy practice.