Clinical Pharmacy in the ICU: A Qualitative View of Healthcare Professionals

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the opinion of professionals working in intensive care units (ICU) regarding expectations of the Clinical Pharmacy service. Methods: Data were obtained by the focus group technique and interpreted by content analysis. The group included one physician, two nurses, one nutritionist, one physiotherapist and ten pharmacists. The discussions were led by a psychologist, in which the participants were asked to consider aspects about their experience and professional life in relation to the Intensive Care Clinical Pharmacy service. Results: Analysis of the discussion resulted in four different themes: Activities pertinent to the hospital clinical pharmacist in the Brazilian reality; Existing difficulties in the development of pharmaceutical assistance in ICU; The expectations of the work team regarding the performance of the intensive care clinical pharmacist and Improvements in the provision of the Intensive Care Clinical Pharmacy service. The multidisciplinary team and the clinical pharmacists see the Clinical Pharmacy service as vital for critically ill patients and as a guarantee of patient safety, but they question to what extent communication between the pharmacist and other professionals is adequate, as well as whether undergraduate and graduate courses prepare pharmacists to assist in decisions about patients. Conclusion: Through this research, pertinent questions were raised to be discussed in the literature and analyzed in future studies regarding the perceptions of health professionals, including pharmacists, considering the current moment of modification in the process of providing the Clinical Pharmacy service in Brazil.