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Kassem AB, Al Meslamani AZ, Elmaghraby DH, Magdy Y, AbdElrahman M, Hamdan AM, Mohamed Moustafa HA. The pharmacists' interventions after a Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC) establishment during the COVID-19 pandemic. J Pharm Policy Pract 2024; 17:2372040. [PMID: 39011356 PMCID: PMC11249153 DOI: 10.1080/20523211.2024.2372040] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2024] [Accepted: 06/19/2024] [Indexed: 07/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Introduction Healthcare systems in developing countries faced significant challenges during COVID-19, grappling with limited resources and staffing shortages. Assessment of the impact of pharmaceutical care expertise, particularly in critical care units during the pandemics, in developing countries remains poorly explored. The principal aim of our study was to assess the impact of the Drug and Therapeutics Committee (DTC), comprising clinical pharmacists, on the incidence, types, and severity of medication errors and associated costs in using COVID-19 medications, especially antibiotics. Methods An interventional pre-post study was carried out at a public isolation hospital in Egypt over 6 months. Results Out of 499 medication orders, 238 (47.7%) had medication errors, averaging 2.38 errors per patient. The most frequent were prescribing errors (44.9%), specifically incorrect drug choice (57.9%), excessive dosage (29.9%), treatment duplication (4.5%), inadequate dosage (4.5%), and overlooked indications (3.6%). Linezolid and Remdesivir were the most common medications associated with prescribing errors. Pharmacists intervened 315 times, primarily discontinuing medications, reducing doses, introducing new medications, and increasing doses. These actions led to statistically significant cost reductions (p < 0.05) and better clinical outcomes; improved oxygen saturation, decreased fever, stabilised respiratory rates, and normalised white blood cell counts. So, clinical pharmacist interventions made a notable clinical and economic difference (66.34% reduction of the expenses) in antibiotics usage specifically and other medications used in COVID-19 management during the pandemic. Conclusion Crucially, educational initiatives targeting clinical pharmacists can foster judicious prescribing habits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amira B. Kassem
- Department of Clinical Pharmacy and Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, Damanhour University, Damanhour, Egypt
| | - Ahmad Z. Al Meslamani
- College of Pharmacy, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
- AAU Health and Biomedical Research Center, Al Ain University, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
| | - Dina H. Elmaghraby
- Kafr El Dawar General Hospital, Department of infectious disease, Ministry of Health, Beheira, Egypt
| | - Yosr Magdy
- Kafr El Dawar General Hospital, Department of infectious disease, Ministry of Health, Beheira, Egypt
| | - Mohamed AbdElrahman
- Clinical Pharmacy Department, College of Pharmacy, Al-Mustaqbal University, Babylon, Iraq
- Clinical pharmacy Department, Badr University Hospital, Faculty of Medicine, Helwan University, Helwan, Egypt
| | - Ahmed M.E. Hamdan
- Department of Pharmacy Practice, Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Tabuk, Tabuk, Saudi Arabia
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Moehring RW, Yarrington ME, Warren BG, Lokhnygina Y, Atkinson E, Bankston A, Collucio J, David MZ, Davis AE, Davis J, Dionne B, Dyer AP, Jones TM, Klompas M, Kubiak DW, Marsalis J, Omorogbe J, Orajaka P, Parish A, Parker T, Pearson JC, Pearson T, Sarubbi C, Shaw C, Spivey J, Wolf R, Wrenn RH, Dodds Ashley ES, Anderson DJ. Evaluation of an Opt-Out Protocol for Antibiotic De-Escalation in Patients With Suspected Sepsis: A Multicenter, Randomized, Controlled Trial. Clin Infect Dis 2023; 76:433-442. [PMID: 36167851 DOI: 10.1093/cid/ciac787] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2022] [Revised: 06/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Sepsis guidelines recommend daily review to de-escalate or stop antibiotics in appropriate patients. This randomized, controlled trial evaluated an opt-out protocol to decrease unnecessary antibiotics in patients with suspected sepsis. METHODS We evaluated non-intensive care adults on broad-spectrum antibiotics despite negative blood cultures at 10 US hospitals from September 2018 through May 2020. A 23-item safety check excluded patients with ongoing signs of systemic infection, concerning or inadequate microbiologic data, or high-risk conditions. Eligible patients were randomized to the opt-out protocol vs usual care. Primary outcome was post-enrollment antibacterial days of therapy (DOT). Clinicians caring for intervention patients were contacted to encourage antibiotic discontinuation using opt-out language. If continued, clinicians discussed the rationale for continuing antibiotics and de-escalation plans. To evaluate those with zero post-enrollment DOT, hurdle models provided 2 measures: odds ratio of antibiotic continuation and ratio of mean DOT among those who continued antibiotics. RESULTS Among 9606 patients screened, 767 (8%) were enrolled. Intervention patients had 32% lower odds of antibiotic continuation (79% vs 84%; odds ratio, 0.68; 95% confidence interval [CI], .47-.98). DOT among those who continued antibiotics were similar (ratio of means, 1.06; 95% CI, .88-1.26). Fewer intervention patients were exposed to extended-spectrum antibiotics (36% vs 44%). Common reasons for continuing antibiotics were treatment of localized infection (76%) and belief that stopping antibiotics was unsafe (31%). Thirty-day safety events were similar. CONCLUSIONS An antibiotic opt-out protocol that targeted patients with suspected sepsis resulted in more antibiotic discontinuations, similar DOT when antibiotics were continued, and no evidence of harm. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION NCT03517007.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rebekah W Moehring
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael E Yarrington
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Bobby G Warren
- Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Yuliya Lokhnygina
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Erica Atkinson
- Department of Pharmacy, Southeastern Regional Medical Center, Lumberton, North Carolina, USA
| | - Allison Bankston
- Department of Pharmacy, Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Newnan, Georgia, USA
| | - Julia Collucio
- Department of Pharmacy, Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Michael Z David
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Angelina E Davis
- Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Janice Davis
- Department of Pharmacy, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, Fayette, Georgia, USA
| | - Brandon Dionne
- Department of Pharmacy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Pharmacy and Health Systems Sciences, Northeastern University School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - April P Dyer
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Travis M Jones
- Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Michael Klompas
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA.,Department of Population Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - David W Kubiak
- Department of Pharmacy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - John Marsalis
- Department of Pharmacy, Piedmont Newnan Hospital, Newnan, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Patricia Orajaka
- Department of Pharmacy, Iredell Health, Statesville, North Carolina, USA
| | - Alice Parish
- Department of Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Todd Parker
- Department of Pharmacy, Piedmont Atlanta Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jeffrey C Pearson
- Department of Pharmacy, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Tonya Pearson
- Department of Pharmacy, Piedmont Fayette Hospital, Fayette, Georgia, USA
| | - Christina Sarubbi
- Department of Pharmacy, UNC REX Healthcare, Raleigh, North Carolina, USA
| | - Christian Shaw
- Department of Pharmacy, Wilson Medical Center, Wilson, North Carolina, USA
| | - Justin Spivey
- Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Pharmacy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Robert Wolf
- Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Rebekah H Wrenn
- Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Department of Pharmacy, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elizabeth S Dodds Ashley
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Deverick J Anderson
- Department of Medicine, Infectious Diseases, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA.,Duke Center for Antimicrobial Stewardship and Infection Prevention, Durham, North Carolina, USA
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Monmaturapoj T, Scott J, Smith P, Abutheraa N, Watson MC. Pharmacist-led education-based antimicrobial stewardship interventions and their effect on antimicrobial use in hospital inpatients: a systematic review and narrative synthesis. J Hosp Infect 2021; 115:93-116. [PMID: 34144096 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhin.2021.06.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Antimicrobial stewardship (AMS) programmes optimize antimicrobial use and address antimicrobial resistance. Pharmacists are often key agents of these programmes. The effectiveness of hospital-based AMS interventions when they are led by pharmacists, however, has not previously been reported. AIM To evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-led AMS interventions in improving antimicrobial use for hospital inpatients. METHODS Standard systematic review methods were used. The search strategies and databases used in a previous Cochrane review were applied. Studies that reported pharmacist-led AMS interventions were included. Narrative synthesis was used to report the findings. PRISMA guidelines were followed. FINDINGS From 6971 records retrieved and screened, 52 full-text articles were included. Most studies were undertaken in teaching hospitals (N = 45) and many were conducted in North America (N = 27). Most interventions targeted junior or ward physicians and lasted between one and six months. All studies evaluated educational interventions often in combination with other interventions and reported improvements 'in compliance with target AMS practice'. Greater compliance was achieved with multiple interventions. Pharmacist-led interventions reduced the duration of antimicrobial therapy without increasing mortality. No consistency of evidence was achieved in relation to interventions and reduced duration of hospital stay, nor infections due to antimicrobial resistance or occurrence of Clostridium difficile. CONCLUSION This is the first systematic review to evaluate the effectiveness of pharmacist-led AMS interventions in hospital inpatients. Education-based interventions were effective in increasing guideline compliance and reducing duration of antimicrobial therapy. Future hospital-based AMS programmes should consider the involvement of pharmacists to deliver and promote AMS interventions and programmes.
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Affiliation(s)
- T Monmaturapoj
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
| | - J Scott
- Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - P Smith
- Department of Psychology, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - N Abutheraa
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
| | - M C Watson
- Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK
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Hasegawa S, Tagashira Y, Murakami S, Urayama Y, Takamatsu A, Nakajima Y, Honda H. Antimicrobial Time-Out for Vancomycin by Infectious Disease Physicians Versus Clinical Pharmacists: A Before-After Crossover Trial. Open Forum Infect Dis 2021; 8:ofab125. [PMID: 34189155 PMCID: PMC8232390 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofab125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/10/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The present study assessed the impact of time-out on vancomycin use and compared the strategy's efficacy when led by pharmacists versus infectious disease (ID) physicians at a tertiary care center. Methods Time-out, consisting of a telephone call to inpatient providers and documentation of vancomycin use >72 hours, was performed by ID physicians and clinical pharmacists in the Departments of Medicine and Surgery/Critical Care. Patients in the Department of Medicine were assigned to the clinical pharmacist-led arm, and patients in the Department of Surgery/Critical Care were assigned to the ID physician-led arm in the initial, 6-month phase and were switched in the second, 6-month phase. The primary outcome was the change in weekly days of therapy (DOT) per 1000 patient-days (PD), and vancomycin use was compared using interrupted time-series analysis. Results Of 587 patients receiving vancomycin, 132 participated, with 79 and 53 enrolled in the first and second phases, respectively. Overall, vancomycin use decreased, although the difference was statistically nonsignificant (change in slope, -0.25 weekly DOT per 1000 PD; 95% confidence interval [CI], -0.68 to 0.18; P = .24). The weekly vancomycin DOT per 1000 PD remained unchanged during phase 1 but decreased significantly in phase 2 (change in slope, -0.49; 95% CI, -0.84 to -0.14; P = .007). Antimicrobial use decreased significantly in the surgery/critical care patients in the pharmacist-led arm (change in slope, -0.77; 95% CI, -1.33 to -0.22; P = .007). Conclusions Vancomycin time-out was moderately effective, and clinical pharmacist-led time-out with surgery/critical care patients substantially reduced vancomycin use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shinya Hasegawa
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Infection Control Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasuaki Tagashira
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Infection Control Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Microbiology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Shutaro Murakami
- Department of Infection Control Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Pharmacy, Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yasunori Urayama
- Department of Pharmacy, Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Akane Takamatsu
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Infection Control Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Yuki Nakajima
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Hitoshi Honda
- Division of Infectious Diseases, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan.,Department of Infection Control Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Medical Center, Fuchu, Tokyo, Japan
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