Promoting integration of pharmacy expertise in care of hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction

Purpose: The substantive integration of pharmacists into quality-improvement initiatives aimed at improving the care of hospitalized patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is described.

Methods: A 2-year, mixed-methods, interventional study was conducted in 10 U.S. hospitals, directed at promoting the use of evidence-based strategies and fostering domains of hospital organizational culture associated with lower risk-standardized mortality rates (RSMRs) for patients with AMI. The adoption of 5 evidence-based strategies associated with reducing RSMRs for AMI was measured at baseline, 12, and 24 months. Data were collected via face-to-face interviews conducted at each hospital. Ethnographic observations were conducted at baseline and 18 months.

Results: Significant changes in the use of evidence-based strategies were observed over the 2-year study period (p = 0.02), with the mean number of strategies used per hospital increasing from 2.4 at baseline to 3.9 at 24 months. Innovative approaches for integrating pharmacotherapy and pharmacy practice expertise included information technology solutions, targeted rounding for patients with AMI, medication-bridging programs, and education of patients with AMI.

Conclusion: A mixed-methods interventional study in 10 hospitals examined the substantive integration of pharmacists into quality-improvement initiatives aimed at improving the care of patients with AMI. The investigation revealed the ability of this integration to meet clinical challenges by generating novel, feasible solutions that were tailored for specific hospital contexts. Inclusion of pharmacists strengthened relationships across disciplines and allowed pharmacists to become routinely embedded in broader quality efforts.