Impact of pharmaceutical interventions in critical patients

ABSTRACT

Background and ImportanceThe high healthcare burden in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) due to the SARS-CoV2 Coronavirus pandemic has created a work environment that increased medication errors. It is known that pharmaceutical interventions reduced medicantion errors.Aim and ObjectivesThe objective of this study is to know the impact of pharmaceutical intervention in critically ill patients.Material and MethodsRetrospective observational study carried out in a general hospital. All the pharmaceutical interventions performed in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) between the months of October 2020 and April 2021 were analysed. It was registered in a database Positive diagnosis of COVID-19 (SARS-CoV2 coronavirus disease), number of interventions, type of intervention and acceptance of the intervention.ResultsA total of 51 interventions were obtained in 169 patients admitted during the 7 months of the study (0.3 interventions / patient). 42.6% of the patients had a diagnosis of COVID-19. 17% of the patients admitted to the ICU had at least one intervention, of which 38% had more than 1 (mean 1.76 interventions per intervened patient). The most frequent reasons for intervention were dose modification due to inappropriate dose (35.3%) and inappropriate choice of presentation due to the route of administration (21.5%). 84% of the interventions were carried out in COVID-19 patients, with the mean number of interventions performed in these patients higher than in non-COVID-19 patients (1.87 vs 1.33). 92% of the interventions conducted by the pharmacist were accepted.Conclusion and RelevancePharmaceutical validation in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is essential to optimise the treatment of critical patients, increasing safety and efficacy of medications they receive and reducing medication errors. Patients diagnosed with COVID-19 are especially likely to benefit from pharmaceutical interventions, which are highly accepted by physicians.References and/or AcknowledgementsConflict of InterestNo conflict of interest