Outcome of pharmacists intervention on out-patient prescriptions in a Nigerian tertiary health facility

Abstract

Background: Pharmacists' intervention has contributed to the detection of medication errors, prevention of adverse drug reactions (ADRs), improvement in the quality of life of patients and cost reduction. There are few documented studies in resource-constrained settings on the outcome of pharmacist intervention. The objectives were to document pharmacists' intervention and evaluate the outcomes in our setting. Methods: A prospective, descriptive study was carried out between November 2010 and May 2011 in the Out-Patient Pharmacy unit of Jos University Teaching Hospital, Jos, Nigeria. Pharmacists interviewed patients, screened prescriptions, made recommendations and documented interventions. Outcomes were evaluated in terms of prevention of ADRs, improved therapeutic effectiveness, improved compliance and cost reduction. Results: A total number of 6631 prescriptions were processed, and total of 103 prescription errors were identified, giving an average of 1.6 errors per 100 prescriptions. The drug-related problem (DRP) most frequently encountered was incomplete prescription (47%), followed by dose and frequency (27.3%). Others were contraindication (6.1%) and drug interaction (3%). To resolve the DRPs, 20 (33%) of the problematic prescriptions were changed and dispensed, 33(55%) were clarified and dispensed without change, 4 (7%) were dispensed as written, while 4 (7%) were not dispensed. 66 interventions were carried out, representing an intervention rate of 1%. Recommendation acceptance rate was 93.5%.

Key Words: Drug Related Problems, Medication Errors, Pharmacists Intervention,

High Med Res J 2013;13:49-52