To measure the effects of a collaborative care model that emphasized the role of clinical pharmacists in providing drug therapy management and treatment follow-up to patients with depression, we conducted a randomized controlled trial at a staff model health maintenance organization. We compared the outcomes of subjects treated in this collaborative care model (75 patients, intervention group) with subjects receiving usual care (50 patients, control group). After 6 months, the intervention group demonstrated a significantly higher drug adherence rate than that of the control group (67% vs 48%, odds ratio 2.17, 95% confidence interval 1.04-4.51, p=0.038). Patient satisfaction was significantly greater among members randomly assigned to pharmacists' services than among controls, and provider satisfaction surveys revealed high approval rates as well. Changes in resource utilization were favorable for the intervention group, but differences from the control group did not achieve statistical significance. Clinical improvement was noted in both groups, but the difference was not significant. Clinical pharmacists had a favorable effect on multiple aspects of patient care. Future studies of this model in other health care settings appear warranted.

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Transfusion-related acute lung injury (TRALI), the leading cause of transfusion-related death, is underreported by clinicians. For TRALI research, a clinician-independent, computerized system has been developed to detect patients with acute respiratory distress posttransfusion. A computer system generates an alert when a blood gas result indicated a PaO2:FiO2 ratio below 300, within twelve hours of blood issued from the blood bank for a patient. The system was prospectively compared to conventional daily rounds in intensive care units (ICUs). We found that ICU rounds detected 9 of 14 patients (64%), while the computer system detected 13 of 14 patients (93%), p = 0.125. ICU rounds took two to three hours per day, while the computer system took one to one and one-half hours per day of investigator time. In conclusion, an automatic computer alert system was more efficient, and was as effective as conventional daily ICU rounds, in detecting patients with posttransfusion acute respiratory distress.