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Updated: May 12, 2026

Multiplex Therapeutic Drug Monitoring by Isotope-dilution HPLC-MS/MS of Antibiotics in Critical Illnesses
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Published on: August 30, 2018

Defining Optimal Pharmacist-to-Patient Ratios for Comprehensive Direct Patient Care in Pediatric Settings: A

Iona Berger1, Jennifer Kendrick2, Michael Legal3

  • 1, BSc(Pharm), ACPR, ACPR2, is with the Department of Pharmacy, Children's and Women's Health Centre of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia.

The Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy
|May 11, 2026
PubMed

Insights

Optimal pediatric clinical pharmacist staffing ratios are estimated to be 1:11 for general pediatric, 1:14 for surgical, and 1:6 for hematology-oncology-bone marrow transplant units. These findings aim to improve patient care and outcomes in pediatric settings.

Area of Science:

  • Pharmacy Practice
  • Pediatric Healthcare
  • Health Workforce Research

Background:

  • Pharmacist staffing ratios are crucial for comprehensive patient care but are not well-defined in pediatrics.
  • Understanding optimal clinical pharmacist staffing in pediatric settings is essential for advocating for adequate resources and improving patient outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To define optimal pediatric clinical pharmacist staffing ratios in Canadian tertiary pediatric hospitals across general pediatric, surgical, and hematology-oncology-bone marrow transplant (heme-onc-BMT) units.
  • To quantify the time pediatric clinical pharmacists dedicate to various pharmaceutical care activities.
  • To gather pharmacists' perspectives on their current workload.

Main Methods:

  • Two electronic surveys were administered: one to healthcare leaders regarding staffing and another to clinical pharmacists detailing time spent on 13 pharmaceutical care activities.
  • Data were analyzed to estimate pharmacist staffing ratios using the World Health Organization workforce calculator.

Main Results:

  • Responses were received from 7 management leaders and 33 clinical pharmacists across 7 sites.
  • Estimated optimal pharmacist-to-patient ratios were 1:11 for general pediatric, 1:14 for pediatric surgery, and 1:6 for pediatric heme-onc-BMT units.
  • Median lengths of stay were 4.9 days (general pediatrics), 2.5 days (surgery), and 7 days (heme-onc-BMT).

Conclusions:

  • The study provides estimated optimal clinical pharmacist staffing ratios for different pediatric units.
  • Further research is recommended to validate these proposed staffing ratios across diverse pediatric clinical pharmacy environments.
Abstract

Keywords:
Mots-clés : pharmacie clinique, indicateurs clés de performance, effectifs en pharmacie, ratio patientsclinical pharmacykey performance indicatorspatient ratiopediatricspharmacien, pédiatriepharmacy staffing

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