Proposal for quality indicators to assess the performance of comprehensive medication management services in the Brazilian context

Abstract

Comprehensive medication management (CMM) is a clinical service based on pharmaceutical care practice that helps individuals using medication to achieve the goals of their treatments. As a recent practice, it is essential to seek uniformity of parameters and greater clarity in the quality indicators for this service. Therefore, the present study aimed to propose quality indicators to evaluate the performance of CMM services applicable to the Brazilian context. A study was carried out in two stages. Step 1: an integrative review was conducted to search for articles that addressed this theme. Step 2: A proposal of quality indicators was elaborated to evaluate the performance of GTM services. Based on data extracted from the 12 publications included in the review stage, a proposal for indicators was prepared, according to the categorization proposed by Donabedian. Among the structure indicators, the human, organizational, physical, material and financial resources that allow the provision of the service were listed. With regard to the process indicators, indicators linked to the organization of the service, clinical complexity of the patients treated and those related to the management of the service were categorized. The outcomes involved the clinical, humanistic and economic results of the service. The authors believe that these indicators can contribute to the quality of the GTM service provided and emphasize that all indicators are representative of the service; however, each clinical pharmacist must adopt those that are consistent with the specificities of their practice setting.