The Impact Of Clinical Pharmacists' Interventions On Drug-Related Problems At The Military Hospital, Omdurman, Sudan

Abstract

Clinical pharmacists can help to identify, solve and prevent drug-related problems (DRPs) through appropriate interventions. The objective of this retrospective study was to identify DRPs, their causes and to evaluate how the clinical pharmacists' interventions can impact on them in the medicine department at the Military Hospital, Omdurman, Sudan. A total of 100 files belonging to patients admitted between September 2018- March 2019 were analyzed in this study according to specific criteria, of which 170 Clinical pharmacists' Intervention (CPIs) were made, and 152 DRPs were identified. The most common DRP found was untreated indication (not prescribed drug but clear indication) accounting for 32.9% (n=50) of total studied cases, followed by subtherapeutic dose 14.5% (n=22), and drug interactions 12.5% (n=19). Interventions were made by clinical pharmacists based on the type of DRP. The acceptance of intervening pharmacist suggestions was found to be 57.6% (n=98), the remaining 41.8% (n=71) of interventions were not accepted. The study highlighted that the participation of clinical pharmacists in the medical ward had a positive impact on optimization of drug therapy by reducing drug-related problems.