Abstract
A quasi experiment was conducted at Lampang Hospital during August 2003 to January 2005 to compare the effectiveness of the pharmacist interventions between using case-based approach and group education in promoting parenteral-oral (IV-PO) drug switching in hospitalized patients. In the mean time, the study measures the satisfaction of health care team and factors affecting physician in switching from IV drug to PO drug. Medical charts of inpatients over one year of age were reviewed prospectively by a clinical pharmacist for two consecutive weeks in three phases for each type of intervention; phase I as baseline period, phase II as intervention period, and phase III as four months post intervention. Candidates for the switching were identified according to the developed guideline. Excess days, durations of IV drug use, length of stay, and potential waste were determined. The generalized linear model was used to adjust age, sex, Charlson index, history of intensive care unit admission, and departments in the multivariate analysis. A descriptive study also was done at Khon Kaen Hospital to determine and compare the incidence of switching candidates with the same switching guideline.The results revealed that the pharmacist intervention using the case-based approach was more effective than using group education, which the case-based approach could reduce (1) the incidences of switching candidates from 36.6% to 19.6%, (2) excess days by 70.2% (p<0.001), (3) durations of IV used by 11.8% (p<0.05) and (4) potential wastes by 60.9% (p<0.001) whereas the group education could reduce only the incidences of switching candidates from 31.3% to 25.5%. No statistically significant change of the studied outcomes including potential waste was found. The case-based approach could save an average of 200,000 Baht a month. However, the majority of physicians and pharmacists preferred the intervention using group education more than case-based approach. During phase II of the case-based approach intervention, the factors affecting physicians in switching from the IV drug to the PO drug were the drug categories A or B (p<0.05) and type of intervention via verbal or written (p<0.01). With the same switching guideline, the incidence of switching candidates at the Lampang Hospital and the Khon Kaen Hospital were comparable at 36.6% and 36.3%, respectively. Thus the case-based approach was the effective strategy in promoting IV-PO switching and it was also a cost-saving program. About one-third of IV drugs in the tertiary care hospitals could switch to oral drugs, which could save drug expenditures. This case-based approach might be applied in order to reduce the incidences of switching candidates and lead to reduce health care costs.
