Development and application of a comprehensive hospital pharmacy service assessment model using principal component analysis

Background: The management of pharmacy services within healthcare institutions presents significant challenges, particularly in ensuring the rational use of medications. These challenges include managing complex medication regimens and ensuring patient safety amidst a growing number of drug interactions.

Objective: This study aimed to construct a hospital pharmacy service competence assessment model focused on the promoting the rational use of medications so as to enable hospitals to assess their pharmacy services more accurately and efficiently.

Methods: A three-step methodology was employed to identify the indicators for assessing hospital pharmacy service capabilities. First, the Delphi method was used to select the initial indicators. Second, an assessment model was developed through principal component analysis (PCA) by incorporating the selected indicators. Third, this model was applied in a comprehensive field assessment involving our hospital and 194 others throughout the Shanxi province, China.

Results: The screening process identified 10 primary indicators and 53 secondary indicators encompassing key areas such as rational clinical medication management, informatics, infrastructure development, and the expansion of pharmacy services. The resulting hospital pharmacy service competence assessment model was applied to 195 hospitals of varied tiers, with the assigned scores (x‾ = 36.12) employed to conduct a comprehensive evaluation and identify areas requiring targeted intervention to optimize pharmacy services in each hospital.

Conclusion: We established a comprehensive assessment model that reflects the competency of hospital pharmacy services from a management perspective. The model integrates the strategic approach of rational medication use, providing robust support for healthcare organizations in assessing pharmacy service capacity and improving the management of rational use.