Lithium surveillance by community pharmacists and physicians in ambulatory patients: a retrospective cohort study

Shared care agreements between clinical pharmacists and physicians can improve suboptimal lithium monitoring in in- and outpatient settings. However, it is unknown whether incorporating community pharmacists in such agreements can also improve lithium monitoring in an outpatient setting.

To assess the necessity for a shared care agreement for lithium monitoring in our region by investigating: intervention rates by community pharmacists and whether those are sufficient; lithium monitoring by physicians in ambulatory patients; the extent of laboratory parameter exchange to community pharmacists.

Patient files of lithium users were surveyed in a retrospective cohort study among 21 community pharmacies in the Northern Netherlands. Outcome was the intervention rate by community pharmacists and whether those were deemed sufficient by an expert panel. Additionally, we investigated both the percentages of patients monitored according to current guidelines and of laboratory parameters exchanged to community pharmacists.

129 patients were included. Interventions were performed in 64.4% (n = 29), 20.8% (n = 5), and 25.0% (n = 1) of initiations, discontinuations, and dosage alterations of drugs interacting with lithium, respectively. The expert panel deemed 40.0% (n = 14) of these interventions as "insufficient". Physicians monitored 40.3% (n = 52) of the patients according to current guidelines for lithium serum levels and kidney functions combined. Approximately half of the requested laboratory parameters were available to the community pharmacist.

Intervention rates by community pharmacists and lithium monitoring by physicians can be improved. Therefore, a shared care agreement between community pharmacists, clinical pharmacists, and physicians is needed to improve lithium monitoring in ambulatory patients.