Evaluation of a pharmacist-run antiarrhythmic clinic in an ambulatory practice.

Objective: To describe the impact of a pharmacist-run antiarrhythmic clinic in an outpatient practice.

Setting: Blanchard Valley Medical Associates (BVMA) in Findlay, OH.

Practice Description: BVMA is a 15-physician private practice with five pharmacists on staff who run several disease management clinics.

Practice Innovation: Patients receiving amiodarone or sotalol are referred to a pharmacist-run antiarrhythmic clinic within an outpatient physicians' office. The pharmacist is responsible for coordinating, monitoring, and reviewing results with patients.

Evaluation: A retrospective chart review was conducted to compare adherence to monitoring protocols between patients referred to the pharmacist-run clinic and patients managed solely by physicians, and to evaluate the type and frequency of pharmacist-initiated interventions. Patients had received antiarrhythmic treatment for at least 6 months before the beginning of the retrospective review.

Results: A total of 130 patient charts were reviewed. Adherence for each recommended testing parameter for patients on amiodarone and sotalol was significantly higher among patients managed by a pharmacist, compared with usual care. A total of 62 adverse events were detected, and 39 interventions were made by the pharmacist group.

Conclusion: Patients with pharmacist monitoring of outpatient antiarrhythmic medications had greater adherence to recommended testing protocols compared with usual care.