• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.33 no.2
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• pp.135-142
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• 2023

Background: Pharmacists communicate with a variety of healthcare experts to prevent medication errors. Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation (SBAR) is a tool used for concise and accurate communication. In 2018, we developed the pharmacy-SBAR (P-SBAR) to deliver pharmacists intervention more quickly and effectively through quality improvement activities. Objectives: This study evaluates the efficacy of P-SBAR on pharmacists' intervention activities before and after the implementation of P-SBAR applications. We assessed the impact of P-SBAR on reducing the burden of intervention work, promoting pharmacists' participation, and enhancing the acceptance rate. Methods: This is a retrospective study of the two groups before and after P-SBAR implementation. All pharmacists' intervention records during two periods (2016-2017 and 2019-2020) were extracted from the data warehouse system at Kyunghee University Hospital at Gangdong, Seoul. The outcome was the number of inpatients and pharmacists who participated in the prescription monitoring activity, the number of interventions, and the physicians' acceptance rate. Results: Although the total number of inpatients decreased (364,753 vs. 348,229), the number of pharmacists who participated in intervention activity increased (monthly mean: 15.8 vs. 18.0, p=0.001). The total number of interventions (2,767 vs. 4,389), the frequency of full acceptance (2,018 vs. 3,710), and the monthly acceptance rate increased significantly (73.8% vs. 83.8%, p<0.001). Conclusion: P-SBAR improved accessibility and convenience by digitalizing the intervention activities performed in an offline environment. Improvement in work burden and acceptance rate using P-SBAR is expected to contribute toward reducing medication errors.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.22 no.1
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• pp.30-40
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• 2012

In Korea, elderly population aged 65 and older are about 5.0% and 10.7% in 1990 and 2009, respectively. Since elderly people may experience physiologic changes with aging and their pharmacodynamic and pharmcokinetic parameters also have been undergone changes, several adverse drug reactions can occur more frequently than young people. Especially, neuropsychiatric adverse drug reactions such as delirium and drowsiness endanger elderly patients more. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the outpatient prescriptions using drug causing delirium and drowsiness in elderly patients aged 65 and older. We retrospectively reviewed prescriptions for elderly patients collected from four community pharmacies from January 2nd to February 1st, 2010. One pharmacy was located closed to a general hospital, and others were located closed to a internal medicine or an ENT clinic. The each number of the collected prescriptions was followings; Group A (n=496) from internal medicine department of a general hospital; Group B (n=44) from ENT department of general hospital; Group C (n=144) from internal medicine clinic; Group D (n=110) from ENT clinic. In result, in Group A, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.38 In Group B, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.09 In Group C, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.51. In Group D, the average number of prescribed drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx was 2.72. Especially, in Group D, the percentage of prescription that drugs causing delirium or drowsiness per Rx prescribed more than 3 is 52.73% In all the 4 groups, over the 60% of drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness per prescription of elderly patients were prescribed. It means elderly patients take 2 drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness among 3 drugs, which is very serious. Frequently prescribed drugs causing delirium and/or drowsiness were followings; GI agents, antitussives & expectorants, histamine H1 antagonist, analgesics, antibiotics. Among these drugs, GI agents was high raking in all the 4 groups, and pharmacists should caution elderly patients when counseling. In the internal medicine groups (Group A,C), drugs concerning chronic diseases were prescribed frequently. In conclusion, pharmacist's role is important. Pharmacists are well informed of the drugs causing delirium or drowsiness and it is important to explain about ADRs slowly and easily to the elderly patients that receive drugs causing delirium or drowsiness. And institutional device is needed. For example, when doctors prescribe drugs for the elderly patients, message is needed that supply some informations about drugs causing delirium or drowsiness.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.25 no.1
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• pp.18-26
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• 2015

Background: The recent change in pharmaceutical education system following the paradigm shift to patient-oriented pharmacy service requires an in-depth discussion to reorganize a future direction and establish a basis for maximizing social values of community pharmacy service. Objective: This study was conducted to review the current status of community pharmacy service provision in Korea based on published literatures. Methods: The electronic databases of National Digital Science Library and Electronic National Assembly Library were used to search the journal articles and dissertation papers. A search term "community pharmacy" was used and the published period was limited to papers published after year 2001, when the legal separation of prescribing and dispensing was implemented. Relevant study reports were also searched manually. Information about pharmacy service provision and study outcomes were retrieved from the selected papers, and classified by predefined individual service scope. Results: A total 33 papers reporting services provided by community pharmacies were selected (journal article 11, dissertation paper 17, and study report 5). Pharmacy services identified in these papers could be classified into prescription dispensing service, pharmaceutical care service, self medication service, other products service, and health promotion service. Twenty papers reported prescription dispensing services, three papers reported pharmaceutical care service, and only two papers reported health promotion service. Current community pharmacy services are highly dependent on prescription drugs while expanded services such as pharmaceutical care and health promotion are peripheral. Most prevalent research topic was medication counseling service (18 papers), reflecting that community pharmacists generally consider it to be the most important and fundamental service. Overall, current pharmacy services are very limited and focus on prescription dispensing service. Conclusion: At this point of time requiring expansion and quality improvement of community pharmacy services, we suggest further lively discussion to strengthen pharmacist's functional identity and set conditions for providing socially expected services.

• The Journal of Korean Medical History
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• v.29 no.2
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• pp.35-47
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• 2016

"JeSeBoGam (濟世寶鑑)" was a medical document authored by Moon Gi-hong during the Japanese colonial rule in 1933, and the author acted as a Korean medicine doctor, an acupuncturist, a medicine practitioner and an apothecary. Since its first publication in 1933, it has been published three times in 1966 and 1975, from the Japanese colonial period to the liberation period. "JeSeBoGam" is largely divided into Preface part, "List of drugs according to symptoms [隨症用藥目錄]", "JeSeBoGam-Gap (濟世寶鑑甲)", and the Appendix includes "Key points for diagnosing the disease [察病要訣]" "Key points of acupuncture and pulse [脈訣]" "Key points of acupuncture and moxibustion treatment [針灸訣]" in the back of the book. In 1933, there are attached exam books and license application forms related to Korean medicine doctor and pharmacist, so strict regulations on them during the Japanese occupation period can be confirmed. "JeSeBoGam-Gap" contains 208 prescriptions from 143 prescriptions taken from "BangYakHapPyeon" and 65 prescriptions from other books. It divided into Gap (甲) Eul (乙) Byung (丙) Jung (丁). These prescriptions were placed in "List of drugs according to symptoms [隨症用藥目錄]" according to a symptom 1,286 times. Considerable parts of organization and prescription drug composition of "JeSeBoGam" are closely related with "BangYakHapPyeon", but there were adjustments in all medicinal ingredients and capacity for the rest of them except 23 prescription drugs. Compared to "BangYakHapPyeon", there was a tendency to substitute the basic prescription in "JeSeBoGam" for prescriptions used for the same disease. Though only 65 prescriptions were taken from books other than "BangYakHapPyeon", 575 times were reflected in "List of drugs according to symptoms [隨症用藥目錄]", and the rate of utilization is high compared with the number of prescriptions of "BangYakHapPyeon". It is thought that the circumstances of the Japanese occupation period, limits in medicinal ingredients composition due to regional characteristics, and changes in a patient's condition and the treatment method might have an influence on the author's drug use tendency. "JeSeBoGam" is similar to "BangYakHapPyeon" in composition, but it is a new practical medical book in which the author's clinical records are concentrated.

• Korean Journal of Clinical Pharmacy
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• v.32 no.2
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• pp.116-124
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• 2022

Background: High-alert medications (HAMs) are medications that bear a heightened risk of causing significant patient harm if used in error. To facilitate safe use of HAMs, identifying specific HAM lists for clinical setting is necessary. We aimed to develop the national level HAM list for acute care setting. Methods: We used three-step process. First, we compiled the pre-existing lists referring HAMs. Second, we analyzed medication related incidents reported from national patient safety incident report data and adverse events indicating medication errors from the Korea Adverse Event Reporting System (KAERS). We also surveyed the assistant staffs to support patient safety tasks and pharmacist in charge of medication safety in acute care hospital. From findings from analysis and survey results we created additional candidate list of HAMs. Third, we derived the final list for HAMs in acute care settings through expert panel surveys. Results: From pre-existing HAM list, preliminary list consisting of 42 medication class/ingredients was derived. Eight assistant staff to support patient safety tasks and 39 pharmacists in charge of medication safety responded to the survey. Additional 44 medication were listed from national patient safety incident report data, KAERS data and common medications involved in prescribing errors and dispensing errors from survey data. A list of mandatory and optional HAMs consisting of 10 and 6 medication classes, respectively, was developed by consensus of the expert group. Conclusion: We developed national level HAM list for Korean acute care setting from pre-existing lists, analyzing medication error data, survey and expert panel consensus.

• Journal of The Korean Society of Clinical Toxicology
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.123-128
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• 2004

Purpose: In recent review of physician suicides] the relative risk of physicians is higher than the general population. The majority of physician suicide were by poisoning. The purpose of this study was to analyse the medical personnels with suicide by poisoning compared with the general population. Methods: We reviewed medical records of 15 medical related personnels with suicide by poisoning who visited the emergency medical centers of St. Mary's and Kangnam St. Mary's hospitals from March 1998 to Aug 2004. For the comparison with general population in analysis] the collected data was acquired from medical records of 677 intoxicated patients in St. Mary's Hospital during the same period. Results: Fifteen suicides of physicians (n=7), nurses (n=4), medical students (n=2), pharmacist (n=1) and medical assistant technician (n=1) was evaluated with regard to the method of poisoning. Preferred methods were ingestion of medications orally ($54\%$) and by infusion/injection ($46\%$). The results were compared with the general population group (n=677: oral ingestion of medications $98\%$, inhalation $1.6\%$). Intoxications by infusion/injection predominated more clearly in physicians than in the total collective. Conclusion: Comparing with the general population, the tendency to a method of suicidal poisoning being typical of the profession rises among physicians and related occupations with the degree of specialization, caused by increasing knowledge, easier access to appropriate drugs and methods.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.54 no.4
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• pp.244-251
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• 2010

Standardized parenteral nutrition is required to improve patient's safety, clinical appropriateness and to increase uniformity between institution and institutions. We assessed the consistency with the American society for parenteral and enteral nutrition (A.S.P.E.N.) practice guideline for PN by evaluating current practice process for parenteral nutrition formulation in inpatients pharmacies in Korea. Each question in this survey was based on 2007 A.S.P.E.N. recommendations of standard parenteral nutrition formulation, the American society of health-system pharmacists (ASHP), and the United State Pharmacopoeia (USP) Chapter 797 guideline for compounding parenteral nutritions. All 90 Korean society of hospital pharmacist (KSHP) member directors of pharmacy were requested to respond to the survey in order to compare the survey results to ASHP national survey of pharmacy practice in hospital settings (2002) in compliance with A.S.P.E.N. guideline. We had final response rate of 35.6%. 25 (100%) hospitals complied with this Garb guideline (response rate was 84.4%) which was the highest compliance. Only 17.9% of hospital pharmacies were actively involved in complications monitoring. Monitoring complications and efficacy were least in compliance with the A.S.P.E.N. guideline. 69.0% of Korean pharmacists adjusted medication dosage based on disease state or monitoring laboratory data in compliance with the A.S.P.E.N. guideline. Over 50% of the hospital pharmacies failed to provide and evaluate staff training in aseptic manipulation skills periodically. Korean hospital pharmacies need to comply with the standard practice guideline for compounding sterile preparation in order to provide better quality of parenteral nutrition service for specific patient population.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.52 no.4
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• pp.283-287
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• 2008

Drug identification service and other drug-related query service are becoming increasingly important in hospital pharmacy. The goal of this research was to investigate current situation of the service in hospital pharmacy, which recently implemented the services as part of provision of advanced hospital pharmacy service in order to assure national health improvement. We investigated the report performed from November 2006 through April 2007 in a university hospital located in Daegu, Korea. Number of drug identification service performed was 81 cases during the first three months period (period I), but it increased to 222 cases during the second three months period (period II), which suggested that the service was welcomed by medical staff in the hospital. Time to process each case was about 30 minutes in the period I while it was only 16 minutes in the period II. Proportion of the unidentifiable cases remained at about 25% during the entire period, which suggests that the system for the identification task appears to have some limitations such as unsatisfactory support from the Korea Pharmaceutical Association, laws, and regulations. A vast majority of drug-related queries were mostly from physicians (60.5%) followed by nurses and pharmacists. Time to process each drug-related query was 10.6 minutes in the period I while it was 6.9 minutes in the period II. Queries answered immediately were about 70% of all queries in the period I, but increased to about 85% in the period II.

• Korea Journal of Hospital Management
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• v.8 no.4
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• pp.121-148
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• 2003

This study is designed to evaluate the contents of the separation of prescribing and dispensing roles(SPD) policy based on the theoretical backgrounds. The results are as follows; Considering the purpose of SPD policy, 'increasing the efficiency in manpower management by separating the role of medical doctor and pharmacist and improving the quality of SPD service through specialization of function' as a policy objective is valid and very important agenda in health care. But the objectives are not working well by no keeping the detail means to actualize it. Also, some policy objectives are unclear or inappropriate and it makes the focus of that policy obscure or misleads inadequate policy alternatives. In terms of means of policy, it is evaluated to have some limits in effectiveness, efficiency, equity, rationality, technical feasibility, economic feasibility, administrative feasibility, social and time feasibility. In conclusion, it's necessary to investigate the some problem mentioned in this paper with empirical evidence. Also, it should be needed to improve the validity of policy by correcting policy objectives and means in execution of policy.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.51 no.5
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• pp.327-335
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• 2007

This study was to evaluate economic impact of a comprehensive pharmaceutical care intervention provided by community pharmacists on drug-related morbidity and mortality in the elderly population, in a societal perspective. Clinical outcomes of pharmaceutical care included compliance increase, inappropriate medication discontinuation, and subsequent drug-related morbidity and mortality reduction. Economic outcomes included cost savings from direct medical costs reduction such as medication and healthcare resource utilization. Input costs for pharmaceutical care included pharmacist time and computerized prescription review supporting program costs. Model parameters of outcomes were derived from published literatures, and costs were from literatures and health insurance statistical data in Korea. Annual costs and benefits were estimated in the year 2005. Current usual care and standardized pharmaceutical care required 0.3 and 2.0 hours per year respectively, for elderly outpatient using average 4.4 prescription drugs per visit and average annual frequency of 17.8 pharmacy visits. Comprehensive pharmaceutical care provided to overall elderly outpatients at community pharmacies would have cost of \74,994 mil. and benefit of \357,002 mil. per year. Benefit:cost ratio was 4.8:1 and net benefit was \282,008 mil/year. It was corresponded to net benefit of \73,816/year for individual elderly patient. In addition, pharmaceutical care was estimated to reduce 1,531 drug-related deaths/year. Conclusively this study, a first attempt in Korea to evaluate an economic value of pharmaceutical care at community pharmacies, proved that it was a cost-effective intervention having significant economic benefit.