Clinical Pharmacy Services in a Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit in Iran: A Focus on a Comprehensive Medication Management Model

Abstract

Background: Critically ill patients treated in the intensive care unit (ICU) are at risk of drug-related problems (DRPs), clinical pharmacists are specifically trained in pharmacotherapy evaluations with the abilities to identify and manage drug-related complications. This study aims to identify areas where clinical pharmacists can be effective in the ICU. The primary outcomes of this study were determining the clinical aspect of clinical pharmacists in the ICU, type, and number of clinical pharmacist interventions. Methods: This was a prospective, interventional study in a teaching hospital in Iran. A clinical pharmacist was dedicated to implement comprehensive medication management (CMM); All Pharmacotherapy Problems were categorized. Results: During the monitoring of 162 patients by the clinical pharmacist, 1524 interventions were conducted. The most frequent pharmacotherapy-related problems identified were drug selection (33.3%), dose adjustment (17.3%), and fluid and electrolyte management (12.9%). Conclusion: Clinical pharmacists’ interventions could reduce the rate of DRPs by pharmacotherapy evaluation and may have important role in many aspects of patient’s management.