Description of drug therapy problem resolution in a statewide care management program

Abstract

Objective: To describe drug therapy problem (DTP) resolution as part of a statewide, team-based care management program.

Methods: This was a retrospective, observational study of DTPs documented between March 1 and August 31, 2015. Data were retrieved from a Web-based platform 5 months after the observation period. DTPs were placed into groups based on the credentials of the person who documented the DTP. Next, they were identified as being documented in a transitional or nontransitional care setting. DTPs were further classified into 1 of 3 categories: medication adherence, discrepancy, or optimization. Lastly, DTP resolution was assessed. Results were analyzed using descriptive statistics.

Results: During the 6-month study period, 135,100 DTPs were documented, with 99% (n = 133,847) being documented by social work care managers, nurse care managers, and pharmacy staff personnel. Pharmacy staff personnel documented the majority of DTPs (51.5%), and the majority of DTPs (55%) were identified in the transitional care setting. Nurse care managers resolved more discrepancy DTPs (59.3%), whereas pharmacy staff personnel resolved more optimization DTPs (47.2%). Social work care managers resolved more medication adherence DTPs (68.6%).

Conclusions: Pharmacy staff personnel primarily identified and resolved opportunities to optimize medication use, whereas nurse care managers primarily identified and resolved medication discrepancies. Social work care managers primarily identified and resolved problems related to medication adherence. When each member of the interdisciplinary care team functioned at the top of their license, all types of DTPs were effectively identified and resolved.