Clinical trial NCT06731387: Assessing the Role of Pharmaceutical Technical Assistents in Hospital Wards: Measuring Efficiency and Medication Safety
Official title: Impact of Implementing Pharmaceutical Technical Assistants to Support the Medication Process in Hospital Wards: Effects on Operational Efficiency and Medication Safety
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: NOT_YET_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Medication Safety
Time Efficiency
Interdepartmental Communication
Keywords: pharmacy assistants
medication safety
hospital ward
medication management
nursing
Lead sponsor: Vitaz
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: Universiteit Antwerpen
name: University of Applied Sciences Utrecht
First posted: 2024-12-12
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Intervention model description: This study focuses on analyzing 50 medication dispensation processes on hospital wards, evenly distributed across two distinct periods: a control period without the involvement of Pharmaceutical Technical Assistants (PTAs) (medication dispensation by the night nurses) and an intervention period where PTAs actively participate in medication dispensation. Nurses and PTAs observed during the dispensation processes will be included in the study based on the selected medication dispensation moments during which they are on duty.
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The goal of this interventional study is to evaluate the impact of implementing pharmaceutical technical assistants (PTAs) to support the medication process on hospital wards on operational efficiency and medication safety among nurses and pharmaceutical technicial assistants. The main questions it aims to answer are:

* What is the effect of PTAs on the time spent by (night) nurses on medication dispensation?
* How does their involvement influence unplanned interactions between nursing staff and the pharmacy?
* What is the impact of PTAs on the safety of medication processes, including missed or delayed doses, accuracy of dispensed medication, and reported medication errors?

Researchers will compare periods with and without the involvement of PTAs in the medication management process on the hospital ward to assess differences in:

* Time spent on medication dispensation.
* Frequency of unplanned interactions between hospital wards and the pharmacy.
* Rates of missed or delayed medication doses.
* Accuracy of dispensed medication compared to prescriptions.
* Reported medication errors.

During the observed medication dispensation processes, involved nurses and PTAs will:

* Be observed while preparing medications to measure time and interruptions.
* Provide data on medication errors and delays through digital systems and reports.
* Complete a demographic questionnaire about their professional background. This study involves both intervention and control periods, allowing researchers to measure the specific effects of PTAs' involvement in medication processes.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria for observed medication dispensation moments

Control Period:

* Medication dispensation moments must be performed by nurses during the nightshift. .
* Nurses included must have at least six months of experience working night shifts.

Intervention Period:

* Medication dispensation moments must be performed by PTAs.
* PTAs included must have at least six months of experience specifically in medication dispensation tasks.

Exclusion Criteria: Hospital wards that introduced the involvement of PTAs less than six months ago.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Time spent on medication dispensation on the hospital ward
timeFrame: Data collection was conducted over five days during the control period and five days during the intervention period on each of the included hospital wards.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Dispensing errors
timeFrame: Data collection was conducted over five days during the control period and five days during the intervention period on each of the included hospital wards.
measure: Delayed and omitted medication doses
timeFrame: Data collection was conducted over five days during the control period and five days during the intervention period on each of the included hospital wards.
measure: Reported Medication Errors
timeFrame: Data collection was conducted over five days during the control period and five days during the intervention period on each of the included hospital wards.
measure: Interdepartmental Communication Between Pharmacy and Hospital Ward
timeFrame: Data collection was conducted over five days during the control period and five days during the intervention period on each of the included hospital wards.
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Sint-Niklaas
country: Belgium
facility: Vitaz
state: Oost-Vlaanderen
Study officials:
affiliation: Universiteit Antwerpen
name: Tinne Dilles, Doctor, Professor
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Rathbone AP, Jamie K, Blackburn J, Gray W, Baqir W, Henderson E, Campbell D. Exploring an extended role for pharmacy assistants on inpatient wards in UK hospitals: using mixed methods to develop the role of medicines assistants. Eur J Hosp Pharm. 2020 Mar;27(2):78-83. doi: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2018-001518. Epub 2018 Sep 3.
citation: Kjeldsen LJ, Schlunsen M, Meijers A, Hansen S, Christensen C, Bender T, Ratajczyk B. Medication Dispensing by Pharmacy Technicians Improves Efficiency and Patient Safety at a Geriatric Ward at a Danish Hospital: A Pilot Study. Pharmacy (Basel). 2023 May 8;11(3):82. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy11030082.