Assessment of Ambulatory Care Practice in Adult and Pediatric Patients

Abstract

Specific Aims: The purpose of this study is to compare frequency of pharmacy services available in ambulatory care practice between adult and pediatric populations and to identify factors that affect the availability of such practice settings between the two populations in the United States. Methods: This study was a descriptive survey study that was distributed nationally. Participants were recruited using two electronic listservs registered with the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP), the Pediatric PRN listserv and Ambulatory Care PRN listserv. A total of 126 participants completed and submitted the electronic questionnaire. This descriptive survey study collected data through an online questionnaire distributed to adult and pediatric ambulatory care pharmacists. Descriptive variables, demographic variables, categorical variables, and ordinal data were analyzed by calculating frequencies, percentages, and averages. Main Results: The majority of participants specialize in diabetes (n = 51, 40.5%), anticoagulation (n=42, 33.3%), hypertension (n=42, 33.3%), hyperlipidemia (n=40, 31.8%), and asthma (n=32, 25.4%). Adult care was greater than pediatric care in diabetes (Adult: n=54, 42.83%; Ped: n=14, 9.53%), anticoagulation (Adult: n=46, 43.66%; Ped: n=6, 4.76%), hypertension (Adult: n=44, 34.94%; Ped: n=8, 6.34%), hyperlipidemia (Adult: n=42, 33.34%; Ped: n=3, 2.39%), and asthma (Adult: n=35, 27.78%; Ped: n=28, 22.23%). Averages of 4.88 hours of hours per week and 5.21 years of experience were obtained for provision of pediatric care in the ambulatory care setting. Conclusion: In conclusion, availability of ambulatory care services for pediatric patients is dramatically less than those available for adults. Generalized structure for location of clinics, billing for services, and funding for positions may increase the opportunity for provision of adult and pediatric ambulatory care services.