Factors determine the application of pharmaceutical care planning

Abstract EN

Objective : To determine what criteria pharmacists are using to select patients to receive care plans and whether this decision is appropriate.

Method : Two hundred consecutive admissions to four medical wards in Bradford Trust Hospitals (UK) starting from 22nd November to 27* December 1999, were studied.

Logistic regression analysis with conditional backward elimination was used to determine which factors the pharmacist used when deciding whether to provide a care plan.

Results : Out of 200 consecutive admissions, eighty three (41.5 %) pharmaceutical care plans were prepared Patients presenting with angina and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were more likely to receive pharmaceutical care plans.

The total number of interventions was related to the presenting complaint of left ventricular failure.

Patients presenting with angina, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma were more likely to receive interventions for counselling.

Elderly patients were more likely to receive interventions for monitoring.

Interventions for patients not receiving care plans were not analysed Conclusion : The decision on whether to prepare a care plan was not based on the expected identification factors, such as the number of medicines prescribed on admission or on the age of the patient Pharmacists are using a variety of other factors like presenting with angina or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease to decide to prepare a care plan.