The National Home Infusion Association (NHIA) is asking for feedback on a practice standard draft for pharmacist documentation.
“This standard was developed in response to a growing need for clear, consistent guidance on pharmacist documentation practices within the home and alternate site,” the NHIA said in a Nov. 19 announcement. “The draft provides structured recommendations on developing and reviewing plans of care, assessing patient and clinical information, reconciling medications, documenting interventions, and ensuring accurate and complete pharmacist assessments.”
The comment period is currently open and closes on Dec. 8.
Establishing the standard
The NHIA noted that its practice standards “represent a consensus of professional judgment, expert opinion and documented evidence. They provide guidance and direction to NHIA members and other audiences who affect the home infusion industry, and the patients served.”
Benefits of following NHIA standards can range from meeting accreditation requirements to helping providers to remain compliant with federal and state laws.
For pharmacists, creating and maintaining comprehensive, accurate documentation is critical and can include patients’ medical histories, prescriptions, allergies, clinical findings and treatment plans, the NHIA draft standard said. “These records facilitate personalized care, serve as a critical reference for multidisciplinary teams, and support medication safety by enabling the monitoring of dosages, adverse effects, therapeutic adjustments and adherence.”
Standardized documentation becomes even more important “as pharmacists assume increasingly prominent roles in diverse care settings and interdisciplinary models of care,” the draft standard added. “Despite the expanding scope of pharmacy practice, there remains a shortage of literature or evidence addressing best practices for pharmacist documentation. This gap is particularly evident in the home infusion setting, where standardized documentation practices have not been well established.”
The practice standard is being developed “to address these challenges by establishing clear guidelines for home infusion pharmacist documentation.” It was developed by the NHIA quality and standards committee, which includes “experienced home infusion professionals.”
Breaking down the standard
The practice standard for pharmacist documentation includes plan of care development and review; assessment of vascular access device information and care; reconciling medication profiles, including drugs, dosages, indications, interactions and duplications; recommendations and interventions; and documenting the pharmacist’s name, date and time of the assessment.
The plan of care development and review includes considering such factors as pregnancy and lactation status, caregiver support, home environment, medication storage, language and cultural preferences, allergy histories and drug orders.
“NHIA is requesting that public stakeholders review and provide feedback on the draft practice standard,” the organization said. “Comments on proposed practice standards play a key role in the standards development process.”
