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Flaviu Mosora1, Myriam Guèvremont2, Gabriel Vézina1
1, Pharm. D., est candidat à la maîtrise en pharmacothérapie avancée, Unité de recherche en pratique pharmaceutique, CHU Sainte-Justine, Montréal (Québec).
Insights
A hospital pharmacist intervention improved patient understanding of medications and satisfaction with pharmaceutical care. This study highlights the positive impact of enhanced pharmacist visibility in pediatric care settings.
Area of Science:
- Pharmacology
- Health Services Research
- Pediatric Care
Context:
- The role of pharmacists in multidisciplinary healthcare teams is often unclear.
- Interventions can enhance pharmacist visibility and impact in hospitals.
- Limited research exists on the feasibility and effectiveness of such interventions in pediatrics.
Purpose:
- To implement and evaluate a three-part intervention to increase pharmacist visibility and optimize pharmaceutical care for hospitalized pediatric patients.
- To compare parental and healthcare professional perceptions and satisfaction with standard versus enhanced pharmaceutical care.
Summary:
- A 5-month randomized controlled study in pediatric units involved an intervention with an information brochure, dedicated phone line, and standardized discharge forms.
- 641 patients were randomized; the intervention group received enhanced pharmaceutical services.
- Surveys assessed perceptions and satisfaction among patients, parents, and healthcare professionals.
Impact:
- The intervention was successfully implemented and positively perceived by parents and healthcare providers.
- While overall satisfaction was high in both groups, the intervention group showed a statistically significant increase in medication knowledge.
- This study demonstrates the value of proactive pharmacist engagement in pediatric care settings.
Background:
The pharmacist's role within the multidisciplinary team is often poorly understood. Various interventions can be put into place to promote the role of the pharmacist in the hospital setting with families, patients, and other health care professionals. Few studies have described the feasibility and assessed the impact of such interventions, particularly in pediatrics.
Objectives:
To describe the implementation of a 3-part intervention aimed at increasing the visibility of pharmacists and their role on the treatment team, with the goal of optimizing the pharmaceutical care of hospitalized patients in the general pediatric units of CHU Sainte-Justine, in Montréal, Quebec, and to compare the perceptions and satisfaction of patients' parents and of health care professionals with exposure to either usual pharmaceutical care or to pharmaceutical care incorporating the intervention.
Methods:
This single-blind, randomized, controlled experimental study involved patients admitted to general pediatric units between March 5 and August 8, 2019. In addition to usual care, the intervention included delivery of an information brochure about pharmaceutical services and care, access to a telephone line (which allowed families and patients to contact a pharmacy resident during their stay in hospital and up to 1 month after discharge), and completion of a standardized discharge form by the pharmacist responsible for the patient. The participants and health professionals concerned were surveyed to determine their perceptions and level of satisfaction.
Results:
A total of 641 participants were included in the study, 321 in the intervention group and 320 in the control group. The brochure was given to all parents in the intervention group. Twelve phone calls were made through the dedicated telephone line. The standardized discharge form was completed for 46.7% (150/321) of the participants in the intervention group. Most of the parents and patients who responded to the survey, in either group (81.2%, 298/367), reported satisfaction with the pharmaceutical services and care received. Of participants in the intervention group, 83.9% were satisfied with the pharmaceutical care and services received, compared with 78.5% of those in the control group (p = 0.18). In addition, 60.3% (111/184) of participants in the intervention group said that the information about medications that was provided during the hospital stay gave them new knowledge, compared with 48.1% (87/181) of those in the control group (p = 0.019). The results of the survey showed that care providers were in agreement with the intervention.
Conclusions:
The 3 components of the intervention were implemented in the pediatric units over a period of 5 months. The intervention was perceived as positive by the parents and care providers concerned, and the respondents were mostly satisfied with the services and pharmaceutical care offered.