Clinical Pharmacy Services in County Hospitals in China: Insights From a National Cross-Sectional Study

Clinical pharmacy services have gained high recognition worldwide, but are still unevenly developed and inequitable. This study aims to explore the setting and implementation of clinical pharmacy services in county hospitals in China and to identify the associated factors, as well as the perceptions and demands of healthcare professionals.

A national cross-sectional survey of clinical pharmacy services in county hospitals in China from April to October 2023. Data were obtained from questionnaire surveys of stakeholders including leaders of pharmacy departments, pharmacists, doctors, and nurses in county hospitals in China. Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics, chi-square test, t-test and Wilcoxon rank sum test.

A total of 1510 questionnaires were collected from 362 county hospitals in 15 provinces in China. The median number of clinical pharmacists in county hospitals was 3 (2-5), far less than the requirement. More than 80% of the hospitals have established working mode and procedures of clinical pharmacy services, but only around 30% of them have incentive policy and charge for services. At present, over 60% of county hospitals consistently provide prescription review. Clinical pharmacy services significantly contributed to the rational use of medication and were highly valued by both doctors and nurses.

The findings indicated that clinical pharmacy services were embedded into daily work of clinical pharmacists, which was highly recognized by healthcare professionals. However, the implementation and sustainability of these services in county hospitals are still restricted by inadequate resources, incomplete systems, and insufficient competence.