Badowski, Melissa E.

ABSTRACT Key performance indicators (KPIs) are quantifiable measures that describe critical success factors of an organization. Their vital role in ensuring the delivery of quality health care services necessitates the development of KPIs relevant to inpatient clinical pharmacy practice. This opinion paper from the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) Clinical Administration Practice and Research Network (CADM PRN) describes the rationale, methodology, and outcomes of a consensus process to identify a focused set of inpatient/acute care clinical pharmacy KPIs. Leveraging a modified Delphi approach, the CADM PRN convened an Expert Panel of clinical pharmacy leader members to build a consensus‐driven set of KPIs reflecting clinical, operational, patient‐centered, and financial contributions of clinical pharmacists in the inpatient/acute care setting. From a previous ACCP White Paper, a total of 15 KPIs were identified across four domains: (1) clinical practice and patient safety, (2) clinical outcomes and readmissions, (3) medication education and patient engagement, and (4) financial and operational value. The CADM PRN posits that the establishment and implementation of standardized KPIs are essential for measuring and demonstrating the value of clinical pharmacy services in modern health care, offers pragmatic, consensus‐based KPIs for evaluating clinical pharmacy services supporting resource justification, and advancing the visibility and impact of pharmacists in acute care practice. As hospitals shift toward value‐based care, robust KPI frameworks will be critical for optimizing patient outcomes, supporting financial sustainability, and justifying appropriate staffing. Future efforts should focus on pilot testing, addressing implementation barriers, and achieving broader acceptance for KPIs across the profession.

AbstractIntroductionActive engagement in research and scholarly output is challenging for pharmacists following residency training.ObjectivesTo determine the current structure of institutional support for pharmacy research, describe barriers to increasing staff research support and scholarly output, and benchmark best practices.MethodsA national survey was developed and distributed to the Vizient Consortium Director of Pharmacy listserv. The survey was conducted between October 2, 2019 and January 31, 2020 and incorporated 23 base questions assessing seven domains: financial support, study design/conduct support, interdisciplinary support, staff incentives, pharmacy research oversight, best practices, and barriers to research support.ResultsThe survey was distributed to 253 directors of pharmacy and 49 (19%) distinct responses were obtained. Most responders (71%) reported less than 25% of clinical staff were involved in research. Responses indicated most departmental research was driven by residents: 43% reported postgraduate year one (PGY1) and postgraduate year two (PGY2) residents were responsible for at least 75% of research projects. The greatest barriers to conducting research included time (72%), funding (33%), and knowledge/experience (32%). Research support included access to statisticians for data analysis (63%) or study design (57%), development of a pharmacy research committee (55%), and financial support or stipends (45%).ConclusionDespite institutional financial and educational support, the most commonly reported barriers to conducting pharmacy research were time, funding, and knowledge or experience of staff pharmacists.