Quality indicators of hospitalized children influenced by clinical pharmacist services: A systematic review

Res Social Adm Pharm. 2023 Oct;19(10):1315-1330. doi: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2023.07.003. Epub 2023 Jul 4.

Abstract

Background: Care for children who are hospitalized can be optimized if the pharmacist, in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team, promotes the rational use of medicines. In this sense, the evaluation of the quality of these clinical services through indicators is important in the planning, decision making of pharmacists and managers of these services.

Objective: To characterize which health indicators were influenced by the pharmaceutical clinical services for the care of children in hospitals.

Methods: A systematic review was performed. The search for data was made on the bases: Cochrane, Embase, Lilacs, Pubmed and Web of Science. Then, the search included studies in which evaluated the impact of pharmaceutical clinical services on clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes.

Results: The search resulted in 11 included studies. In this review, four pharmaceutical clinical services were found: pharmacotherapy review, multiprofessional team interventions, antimicrobial stewardship program and pharmaceutical services at discharge hospital. The most influenced outcome indicators were length of hospital stay, with average time in the group that received the pharmacotherapy review service, and interventions multiprofessional team with a 6.45-day vs. 10.83 days in the control group; hospital readmissions with a significant reduction of non-scheduled readmission of 30 days in the ntimicrobial stewardship program; reduction of hospital costs and caregiver satisfaction.

Conclusion: In this study, we can highlight that pharmacotherapy review, multiprofessional team interventions and Antimicrobial Stewardship Program that significantly reduced the clinical results of length of hospital stay and hospital readmission, as well as a significant reduction of hospital costs.

Keywords: Child; Clinical pharmacy; Health service; Hospital; Patient safety; Quality.

Publication types

  • Systematic Review
  • Review
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Child, Hospitalized
  • Delivery of Health Care
  • Humans
  • Pharmaceutical Preparations
  • Pharmacists*
  • Pharmacy Service, Hospital*
  • Quality Indicators, Health Care

Substances

  • Pharmaceutical Preparations