Coronavirus 2019 work-from-home productivity of inpatient and infusion pharmacists at a comprehensive cancer center

PURPOSE: To evaluate inpatient and infusion pharmacist order verification productivity when working from home and to report their perceptions of a flexible workplace setting. METHODS: Order verification data were pulled from the electronic medical record from April 27, 2020, to June 30, 2020, matched to the pharmacist schedule on the basis of work setting and reported as average orders verified per day. Pharmacist perceptions were gathered via a survey to evaluate practice setting background, workplace setting preference, and perceived changes in workflow and their productivity. RESULTS: There was an overall increase in order verification productivity when working from home. Inpatient pharmacists, on average, verified 152 orders per day from home and 133 orders per day onsite. Infusion pharmacists, on average, verified 144 orders per day working from home and 117 orders per day working onsite. Fifty-nine percent of pharmacists reported preferring the mix of onsite and home workplace setting and noted little change in workflow. In addition, 57% of the pharmacists perceived themselves as being more productive, 32% as maintaining the same level of productivity, and 10% felt that they are less productive when working from home. The order verification data showed a greater increase in productivity for infusion shifts worked from home than inpatient shifts. CONCLUSION: The coronavirus 2019 pandemic prompted pharmacy departments to re-evaluate their ability to provide an option for a flexible workplace for pharmacists. Our study demonstrates that pharmacists, on average, verified more orders when working from home, and they also perceive themselves as being more productive. The results of this study support long-term applicability of a flexible work schedule for inpatient and infusion pharmacists.