CHEARS

Quality assurance

Assurance is the procedure used to set, promote, maintain and monitor the desired standards for services and products. Focused on three aspects:

1. Materials

2. People

3. Processes

Quality assurance of clinical pharmacy services:

• Pharmacists should aim to regularly access the services they provide through quality assurance programs.

• The outcomes of the evaluation should be analyzed and the deficiency should be corrected.

• Continuous quality improvement.

• Quality assessment is done on responses provided to request , literature search, evaluation process, resources, quality of materials of the center.

• Accessing parameters- Timelines, completeness, appropriateness of the response, and method of communication.

Methods of quality assurance

• Retrospective evaluation

• Assessment from the receiver's perspective.

• Assessment from the provider's perspective.

1. Retrospective evaluation: Carried out regularly and for a specific period of time. Evaluation can be based on the parameters :

• Professional status of the inquirer.

• the specialty of practice.

• mode of query

• Purpose of inquiry.

• Category of question.

• The time frame for reply and references used.

2. Assessment from receivers' perspective: In general, it can also be called surveillance. A questionnaire containing questions, pertaining to awareness, utilization, opinion, and quality of services. Healthcare professionals like clinicians and postgraduate trainees can be included. Sufficient time is given to give feedback.

3. Assessment from providers' perspective: Generally includes auditing. Parameters:

• DEmographic details of the inquirer.

• Background information obtained.

• strategy involved.

• Literature received.

• Response provided.

Apart from these, assessment can also be done on the basis of resources available. resources like Handbook, textbook, educational materials, electronic database, and internet search engines

Future plan:

• The quality of clinical pharmacy services can be improved by conducting retrospective surveys on regular basis.

• Computerized database for documentation.

• Conducting and participating in CME's.

• PDA system should be encouraged.

• Resources have to be updated regularly.