The effect of emergency department pharmacists on drug overuse and drug underuse in patients with an ADE-related hospitalisation: a controlled intervention study

Abstract

Background Drug overuse or drug underuse are the most common causes of adverse drug events and can lead to hospital admissions. Using clinical pharmacists in the emergency department may improve patient safety as they are specialised in recognising of adverse drug events and tackling drug overuse and drug underuse. This study tested the effect of an emergency department pharmacist on the number of medication changes for drug overuse and drug underuse taking place in patients with an adverse drug event-related hospitalisation following an emergency department visit. Methods A multicenter prospective non-randomized controlled intervention study was conducted in a university hospital and a general teaching hospital. Trained emergency department pharmacists included patients in the intervention group with a hospital admission related to an adverse drug event. The interdisciplinary intervention consisted of a pharmacist-led medication review, patient counselling regarding medication, and information transmission to general practitioners and community pharmacies after discharge. The control patients were also admitted after an emergency department visit and received the usual care. The primary outcome was the number of medication changes for drug overuse and drug underuse that took place during hospital admission and persisted 6 months thereafter. Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the difference in these medication changes between the intervention group and the control group. Results A total of 216 patients were included (intervention group 104, control group 112). In the intervention group, 156 medication changes for drug overuse and drug underuse persisted 6 months after admission compared to 59 in the control group (adjusted rate ratio 1.22 [95%CI 1.01-1.49] p = 0.039). Conclusion Emergency department pharmacists do contribute to reduction of drug overuse and drug underuse of medication in patients with a hospitalisation related to adverse drug events after an emergency department visit.

How Do Pharmacists Distribute Their Work Time during a Clinical Intervention Trial?—A Time and Motion Study

“…Clinical pharmacists are experts in medicines and their use, and they may through various medication-safety services, such as MedRec, MedRev, medication counseling, patient education and antimicrobial stewardship, optimize medication therapy and resolve medication-related problems [ 12 , 13 ]. Several studies from different countries have shown that ED pharmacists improve medication safety, reduce hospitalization, enhance patient satisfaction and save costs [ 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 ]. The pharmacists’ contribution to the interdisciplinary team can also relieve the other team members of their medication-related tasks and other duties, and reduce their work and cognitive overload [ 18 , 19 ].…”