Clinical and economic impact of pharmacist interventions on sampled outpatient prescriptions in a Chinese teaching hospital

Table 4 Cost-benefit analysis of pharmacist interventions in different expenditure types

	2011	2012	2013	2014	2015	2016
Prescription at self payment
Number of inappropriate prescription	905	720	450	204	116	114
Cost of inappropriate prescription(Dollar)^a	20,532	17,053	14,103	6730	3844	4212
Cost of pharmacist time(Dollar)^b	2601	2971	3341	3481	3596	3540
Benefit-to-cost ratio ^c	7.89	5.74	4.22	1.93	1.07	1.19
Prescription at public payment
Number of inappropriate prescription	229	171	107	44	28	27
Cost of inappropriate prescription(Dollar)^a	6624	5701	4231	2086	1001	954
Cost of pharmacist time(Dollar)^b	510	540	589	530	572	585
Benefit-to-cost ratio ^c	13.00	10.56	7.18	3.94	1.75	1.63
Prescription at insurance payment
Number of inappropriate prescription	711	571	359	190	102	97
Cost of inappropriate prescription(Dollar)^a	16,344	13,964	11,293	6538	3878	3812
Cost of pharmacist time(Dollar)^b	1873	2155	2422	2976	3505	3743
Benefit-to-cost ratio ^c	8.73	6.48	4.66	2.20	1.11	1.02

^aCost of inappropriate prescription in each expenditure type = the sum of costs of inappropriate items of this type;
^bWe supposed that each prescription took the pharmacist the same time. The time each prescription consumed = (Total pharmacist time)/ (Number of reviewed prescriptions)(see Table 4 and Table 1); Pharmacist time spend on each expenditure type = (The time each prescription consumed)* (Prescription number of this type)(see Table 1); Cost of pharmacist time = (Pharmacist time spend on each expenditure type)* (Hourly salary)(see Table 4);
^cBenefit-to-cost ratio = (Cost of inappropriate prescription in each expenditure type)/(Total cost of pharmacist time);

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