LIFAC study: assessment of the usefulness of an incident book in community pharmacy

Aim: The community pharmacist is often obliged to deal with patient needs put to them in terms of demanding solutions, by means of actions that strict observation of prevailing legality prevents carrying out but which comes guaranteed by their professional training and proximity to the patient. Strict record of this kind of situation and the decision taken by the pharmacist is the object of this study, with the purpose of assessing its usefulness, categorizing and making an inventory of the incidents that present, serving as a support for their action and improving the quality of patient care.

Methods: Multicenter, national and prospective design. SEFAC (Spanish Society for Community Pharmacy) members were given the opportunity to take part; they made an electronic record (Incident Book) of the incidences that occurred in daily professional work according to a preset template agreed by the SEFAC Bioethics Committee.

Results: A total of 170 community pharmacists recorded 1565 incidences; 64.7% cases of exceptional dispensing were resolved in 29.7% and 14.5% by means of the patient record and after a pharmacist-patient meeting, respectively. A total of 35.3% corresponded to other kinds of incident: no dispensing for clinical reasons (21.5%) and incorrect prescription (14.5%). The therapeutic group most involved was anti-infectious drugs (20.1%) and related to the CNS (18.7%).

Conclusions: The LIFAC study highlights that the community pharmacist resolves situations in which patient health is in some way seen as compromised. Participants perceive that the record of incidents is of major help to justify their professional work in complex or compromised situations.