Objectives: To systemise the pharmaceutical care provided to patients with chronic diseases. To evaluate the pharmacist's participation in the drug treatment plan, studying their intervention in the reconciliation of the patient's habitual treatment and the detection and resolution of drug-related problems.
Method: A multicentre study based on the comparison of two cohorts: one with the intervention of the pharmacist and one without. Inclusion criteria were as follows: patients over the age of 70 with chronic cardiovascular conditions being treated with more than 6 drugs. They were selected between 24-48 hours from admittance; a control patient was chosen for each patient in the intervention group. The pharmaceutical intervention consisted of medication reconciliation on admittance, drug treatment monitoring and reconciliation on discharge. Drug-related problems, their seriousness, the pharmaceutical intervention, the degree of resolution and the clinical outcomes on discharge were all recorded. A total of 24 hospitals participated, with a total of 356 patients: 180 in the intervention cohort and 176 in the control one.
Results: A total of 602 drug-related problems were identified: 66.9% belonging to the intervention group and 33% to the control group. Interventions were made in 359 (89%) patients belonging to the intervention group, 66% were resolved after the pharmaceutical intervention, producing a total or partial improvement in the patient in 36.3% of cases.
Conclusions: Pharmaceutical care has been systematised, providing an instrument that enables all the hospitals to work in a standardised manner. The active participation of the pharmacist in the healthcare team contributes to preventing and resolving drug-related problems.