Clinical pharmacists and drug-related problem management in a South African hospital

Abstract

Background: Drug-related problems (DRPs) negatively impact health outcomes and are more likely in patients with multiple comorbidities and polypharmacy. Involving clinical pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams can improve drug safety and efficacy by preventing DRPs.
Aim: This study aimed to identify and analyse DRPs and highlight the role of clinical pharmacists in minimising DRPs.
Setting: This study was conducted in the internal medicine wards of a tertiary hospital in South Africa.
Methods: A descriptive quantitative study was conducted using purposive sampling, including all inpatients in internal medicine wards. Drug-related problems were identified through daily reviews of patient files using a standardised pharmaceutical care form. Findings were communicated to the healthcare team. Data were analysed descriptively using Stata.
Results: A total of 181 patient cases were reviewed, with most patients being male (65.2%) and aged 20–40 years (35.9%). A total of 241 DRPs were recorded, averaging 1.76 DRPs per patient. The most frequent DRP was failure to receive therapy (53.1%), often because of omitted doses. The clinical pharmacist made 277 recommendations, with 37.2% accepted by nurses and 22.7% by doctors.
Conclusion: Clinical pharmacists effectively identified and addressed DRPs, particularly omitted doses and therapeutic duplication. The integration of clinical pharmacists into healthcare teams can significantly reduce DRPs and enhance patient safety.
Contribution: This study raises awareness of drug-related problems and supports the development of strategies to prevent them in hospitalised patients.