Accreditation in the field of hospital pharmacy services: A qualitative approach of its effects

Abstract

This study analyzes the impact of the accreditation process on hospital pharmacy services, aiming to identify evidence of changes and improvements in the service provided by the hospital pharmacy. Focus groups were conducted with pharmacists and internal clients of the pharmacy service of five private hospitals in the state of Rio de Janeiro intentionally selected. Recordings were made, later transcribed, to analyze the content of the dialogues and thematic categorization. According to the narratives, the accreditation resulted in investments both in infrastructure and human resources, implementation of new processes and discreet change in the performance of the pharmacist, leveraged by the clinical pharmacy. It was observed that such modifications contributed to a continuous transformation of hospital pharmacy services, with a modest improvement in the efficiency, quality and safety of the service provided. When considering the final results, the satisfaction was partial, since the pharmaceutical assistance cycle is not yet complete, weakening the processes recently implemented in favor of the quality of care offered to the patient. Despite of this aspect, the impact on the overall performance of the hospital pharmacy was considered positive, allowing to conclude that the accreditation guidelines pointed the way for the development of the evaluated services, as they required the fulfillment of the standards necessary for qualifiedpharmacy services.