Drug Use Disease State Management (DUDSM) Program
Drug Information Center (DIC)
Preceptors: Sue Skledar RPh MPH, Shelby Corman PharmD, Colleen Culley PharmD BCPS
The mission of the DIC and DUDSM Program, consistent with that of the Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, is to provide accurate, clinically relevant drug information; to improve the quality of life of our patients, health care partners and staff by promoting the safe, effective, and evidence-based use of medications; and the advancement of research, education, and policy related to medication information. Components of effective literature retrieval, analysis, and synthesis as well as effective verbal and written communication skills are utilized to develop, design, and implement formulary decisions through the DUDSM Program, provide patient safety initiatives, and provide evidence-based pharmacotherapy recommendations.
The DUDSM Program is a comprehensive, interdisciplinary inpatient clinical program with the goals to optimize pharmacotherapy regimens using evidence-based clinical practice guidelines, evaluate patient therapeutic and economic outcomes, ensure promotion of safe medication practices, and integrate continuous quality improvement (CQI) principles into initiative design. A systematic approach to clinical initiative design, implementation, and evaluation has been developed, with emphasis on improving healthcare quality while promoting positive economic outcomes. All DUDSM Program initiatives are approved by the Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) Committee (Presbyterian, Shadyside, and Health System). Clinical faculty and practitioners in this program are well-versed in the strategies used in designing cost-containment health care programs and principles of evidence-based medicine. Understanding the impact of preventative and cost-effective health care management in today’s environment is also part of program experience. Components of designing a DUDSM initiative/guideline, including recognition of ongoing initiative opportunities, development of new ideas, strategies for implementation, consensus-building techniques, and mechanisms for outcomes monitoring and initiative analysis are part of participation in the program.
Specialty-trained clinical faculty in the DIC and DUDSM are experts in the development of strategies for evaluating evidence-based medicine as it relates to creating formulary decisions and providing optimal drug information responses and education. Understanding the impact of pharmacoeconomics and outcomes research relating to such areas are necessary with today’s rapidly expanding armamentarium of medications. Employing effective means of evaluating current literature and anticipating potential formulary agents is also needed to provide up to date and proactive formulary reviews.
In addition, the DIC and DUDSM teams also provide state of the art communication and dissemination of drug information through various innovative technological venues and partnerships with medical staff education venues (ex. Center for Continuing Education in he Health Sciences).
The objectives of the rotation are as follows:
- Understand the importance of documentation of interventions and patient outcomes
- Understand pertinent patient information in order to assess initiative impact and make appropriate interventions in therapy
- Understand the use of clinical and financial patient information systems to retrieve pertinent data
- Implement approved initiatives via education, computer programming, patient monitoring, competency assessment and outcome analysis
- Understand financial impact analyses of implemented projects and projection of potential savings for new projects
- Interpret outcomes data for management purposes.
- Design and execute investigations of Pharmacy Management Residency-related issues.
- Design an approach to the development of the system's medication use policy that assures the accomplishment of the health care system's mission and strategic goals
- Assess the health system's formulary system for its effectiveness in achieving the health system's medication-use policy goals.
- Perform prospective and retrospective financial and clinical outcomes analyses.
- Construct reports and recommend plans to improve outcomes based on conclusions drawn from analysis of financial and clinical outcomes data.
- Performance Improvement/ Competency Assessment
