Activity analysis and cost study of clinical pharmacists practicing in a university medical center: comparison with previously established criteria.

The activities of three staff clinical pharmacists practicing in a university medical center hospital were studied using work sampling direct observation techniques. The results of the activity analysis were compared with the functional criteria of the Task Force on the Pharmacist's Clinical Role. It was found that the clinical pharmcists devoted a large portion (72.36 percent) of their total practice time to accomplishing professional activities. A very low percentage (2.27) of time was observed to be spent in nonproductive idle time. The cost to provide clinical pharmacy services to the 165.23 average census of inpatients supported by the clinical pharmacists was calculated to be $1.18 per patient per day. It was concluded that the observed pharmacists were highly motivated and provided a wide variety and extensive amount of professional clinical pharmacy services. Recommendations were made calling for research of other clinical pharmacy practice models, standardization of pharmacy activity terminology, determination of clinical pharmacy outcomes and identification of motivational factors present in the study model environment.