Drug-related problems identified by clinical pharmacists in an academic medical centre in Thailand

• Main Authors: Nantaporn Lekpittaya (Author), Sumet Kocharoen (Author), Jintavee Angkanavisul (Author), Thanison Siriudompas (Author), Preecha Montakantikul (Author), Taniya Paiboonvong (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Taylor & Francis Group, 2024-12-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

Background: Drug-related problems (DRPs) are important issues that interfere with therapeutic outcomes and can cause adverse events. Pharmacists play a vital role in identifying and resolving DRPs. This study aimed to determine the characteristics, and severity of DPRs, including clinical pharmacists' interventions. Method: A retrospective study was conducted at Ramathibodi Hospital, a tertiary university hospital in Thailand. We collected data from the drug-related problem system and the electronic medical record. Descriptive statistics were performed with Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) software version 18.0. Results: There were 580 patients (20.44%) who had at least one DRP. We classified 1255 DRPs based on Cipolle-Strand-Morley Criteria 2012. The most common DRPs were the need for additional drug therapy (27.09%), followed by dosage too low (26.93%) and dosage too high (22.31%). Anti-infective agents (23.71%) and omeprazole (2.70%) were the most common drug groups and drugs causing DRPs, respectively. The severity of DRPs was mostly categorised to be 'no harm' (95.46%). Almost all of the interventions were completely accepted by physicians (99.12%). Conclusion: The most common DRPs were the need for additional drug therapy and dosage adjustment of antimicrobial agents. The clinical pharmacists on wards are effective in preventing and resolving DRPs.

Item Description

2052-3211
10.1080/20523211.2023.2288603