Cost Savings Associated With Pharmacy Student Interventions
Cost Savings Associated With Pharmacy Student Interventions
The number of students participating from each class from 2009–2013 ranged from 134 to 156 per year. The total number of interventions documented in Clinical Measures during this 4-year period was 59,613 (Figure 1) and represented a total cost savings of $8,583,681 (Figure 2). The average dollars saved per student intervention was $148. Students spent 513,143 minutes making interventions, or an average of 8.6 minutes per intervention ( Table 1 ). The most common interventions made by pharmacy students were conducting chart reviews, fixing dosing issues, and ensuring appropriate therapy with preceptor approval. These interventions were consistently the top 3 student interventions made every year. Prevention of allergic reactions, identification of potential drug interactions, and resolving contraindications netted the most dollars saved per individual intervention, but these interventions were not those most frequently documented by students. Interventions to prevent allergic reactions, for example, made up only 0.7% of the total pharmacy student interventions ( Table 2 ).
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Figure 1.
Pharmacy student interventions by total volume during advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
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Figure 2.
Pharmacy student interventions by total dollars saved during advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
Results
The number of students participating from each class from 2009–2013 ranged from 134 to 156 per year. The total number of interventions documented in Clinical Measures during this 4-year period was 59,613 (Figure 1) and represented a total cost savings of $8,583,681 (Figure 2). The average dollars saved per student intervention was $148. Students spent 513,143 minutes making interventions, or an average of 8.6 minutes per intervention ( Table 1 ). The most common interventions made by pharmacy students were conducting chart reviews, fixing dosing issues, and ensuring appropriate therapy with preceptor approval. These interventions were consistently the top 3 student interventions made every year. Prevention of allergic reactions, identification of potential drug interactions, and resolving contraindications netted the most dollars saved per individual intervention, but these interventions were not those most frequently documented by students. Interventions to prevent allergic reactions, for example, made up only 0.7% of the total pharmacy student interventions ( Table 2 ).
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 1.
Pharmacy student interventions by total volume during advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
(Enlarge Image)
Figure 2.
Pharmacy student interventions by total dollars saved during advanced pharmacy practice experiences.
