DRUG-USE EVALUATION PROGRAMS IN SHORT-TERM-CARE GENERAL HOSPITALS

The results of a survey to assess drug-use evaluation (DUE) programs i n short-term-care general U.S. hospitals are reported. During February 1992, questionnaires were mailed to pharmacy directors at 491 randoml y selected short-term-care general hospitals with 100 or more beds. Th e questionnaire was designed to collect information on the characteris tics of surveyed hospitals and their pharmacies, DUE program character istics, and the perceptions of pharmacists about the DUE programs. The net response rate was 66.6% (327 usable replies). Pharmacist involvem ent in DUE program activities was found to be very high, with two thir ds of respondents indicating they participated in all five ASHP-recomm ended activities. Pharmacists rated the effectiveness of current DUE p rograms as moderate, while the importance of pharmacist participation was perceived to be very high. Pharmacists were members of 97.9% of th e respondents' DUE committees, but only 65.5% of the pharmacist member s held voting privileges. Pharmacists reported devoting an average of 11.27 hours weekly to DUE-related tasks. Reasons used to select drugs for DUEs, interventions employed, uses of DUE results, and methods of evaluating the effectiveness of DUE programs all varied widely. In sho rt-term-care general hospitals with 100 or more beds, pharmacists assi gned to DUE activities were highly involved in DUE committees and prog rams. The effectiveness of these activities needs to be assessed in mo re detail.