Effect of a clinical pharmacist’s interventions on duration of antiretroviral-related errors in hospitalized patients

Abstract

The duration of prescribing errors was decreased when a clinical pharmacist monitoring patients receiving HAART intervened to resolve errors.

Role of the Pharmacist in Caring for Patients with HIV/AIDS: Clinical Practice Guidelines

“…Medication errors occur frequently in individuals with HIV/AIDS, often as a result of faulty communication at the interfaces of care, such as admission to and discharge from hospital. 145,146 Antiretroviral prescribing errors have been estimated to occur for between 5% and 30% of HIV-infected hospital inpatients, 8,147 with one prospective study reporting a prevalence as high as 72%.…”

“…145 Furthermore, when clinical pharmacists were actively involved in or leading the medication evaluation of HIV-positive patients being admitted to hospital, medication errors were prevented, error rates were further reduced, and the duration of uncorrected errors was significantly shorter. 8,149,157,158 Pharmacists can also be useful resources for residents and physicians, especially those with limited experience in HIV, who may be more prone to antiretroviral prescribing errors. 159,160 Pharmacists can provide advice regarding dosage adjustments to address drug interactions or organ insufficiencies, can suggest alternatives if current therapies or formulations are unsuitable or contraindicated, and can ensure that complete regimens are prescribed, including comedications, problems that a computerized physician order entry system is unlikely to be able to identify or help resolve.…”

“…3 Pharmacists' involvement in the care of HIVpositive patients has been associated with improved patient outcomes, including enhanced adherence, 4 reduced pill burden and dosing frequency, greater increases in CD4 cell counts, higher rates of viral suppression, 5,6 and decreases in medication errors. 7,8 Guidelines and position statements on the role of the pharmacist in caring for patients with HIV/AIDS have been published by various national and international organizations, [9][10][11] but there have been no updates since combination antiretroviral therapy came into use, about a dozen years ago. This paper provides current guidelines for a pharmacist's role in the many aspects of caring for patients with HIV/AIDS, including selecting and reviewing therapy, tailoring treatment for specific populations, counselling patients, monitoring response to therapy, guiding transitions of care, and undertaking scholarly and professional activities.…”

Seguimiento farmacoterapéutico de pacientes chilenos con infección por VIH/SIDA hospitalizados en un centro de alta complejidad durante un período de un año

“…Se detectaron 296 PRM, de los cuales 132 correspondieron a PRM reales relacionados con la seguridad. Este valor es alto y puede ser causa de que la mayor cantidad de PRM en pacientes con infección por VIH, es atribuida a RAM e interacciones [3][4][5][6][7] . Sin embargo, no es posible comparar los datos entregados por este estudio con otras fuentes, ya que no existen reportes referentes a la incidencia de PRM en paciente seropositivos para VIH.…”

Clinical Pharmacy Consultations Provided by American and Kenyan Pharmacy Students During an Acute Care Advanced Pharmacy Practice Experience

“…[18][19][20] The value of clinical pharmacists in the care of hospitalized patients with HIV reduces medication errors and medication costs. [21][22][23] In Kenya, nearly 7% of adults are infected with HIV and it continues to be one of the main causes for hospitalization in this setting. 15 Although data regarding the impact of clinical pharmacy services provided was not collected, a previous study in a different practice setting reported that students may reduce adverse drug events and medication costs.…”