Analysis of clinical pharmacist interventions in the COVID-19 units of a French university hospital

• Published in: European journal of hospital pharmacy. Science and practice 2022-03, Vol.29 (e1), p.e30-e35
• Main Authors: Perez, Maxime, Masse, Morgane, Deldicque, Anne, Beuscart, Jean Baptiste, De Groote, Pascal, Desbordes, Jacques, Fry, Stéphanie, Musy, Elodie, Odou, Pascal, Puisieux, Francois, Lambert, Marc, Scherpereel, Arnaud, Décaudin, Bertrand
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: administration; Body mass index; Coronaviruses; COVID-19; COVID-19 - drug therapy; drug-related side effects and adverse reactions; education; hospital; Hospitals, University; Humans; intravenous; Life Sciences; medical errors; Original Research; Pharmaceuticals; Pharmacists; pharmacy; pharmacy service; Prescription drugs; Prospective Studies; SARS-CoV-2
• ISSN: 2047-9956; 2047-9964
• DOI: 10.1136/ejhpharm-2020-002542

ObjectivesThe objectives were to compare clinical pharmacist interventions between two care groups: COVID-19-positive and COVID-19-negative patients, and to identify drugs that require particular attention, especially those involved in COVID-19 management.MethodsA prospective cohort study was conducted on patients with positive and negative COVID-19 statuses admitted to Lille University Hospital over 1 month. Pharmaceutical analysis instigated interventions to rectify drug-related errors. For each pharmaceutical intervention (PI), the anatomical therapeutic chemical classification of the drug and the outcome of such an intervention were specified.ResultsThe study included 438 patients. Prescription analysis led to 188 PIs performed on 118 patients (64 COVID-19-positive patients and 54 COVID-19-negative patients). Most drug-related problems were incorrect dosage representing 36.7% (69/188) of all interventions: 27.9% (29/104) for the COVID-19-positive group and 47.6% (40/84) for the COVID-19-negative group. The most frequent PI in 34% (64/188) of cases was terminating a drug: 27.9% (29/104) for the COVID-19-positive group and 47.6% (40/84) for the COVID-19-negative group. The main drug classes involved were antithrombotic agents (20.7%, 39/188), antibacterials for systemic use (13.8%, 26/188) and drugs for gastric acid-related disorders (6.4%, 12/188). Study population was limited to a single centre over 1 month.ConclusionNo difference in PI was noted between the two groups. The presence of pharmacists led to a reduction in drug-related prescription problems, especially for antithrombotic and antibacterial drugs for both groups. Clinical pharmacy commitment in such a pandemic is therefore important.