Role of clinical pharmacist in ensuring safe medication practices for pediatric cardiac care in low- and middle-income countries.

Abstract

Background and objectives: Medication safety is critical for pediatric cardiac care, especially in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where limited resources contribute to high rates of medication errors. Studies in LMICs have shown that pharmacist interventions can reduce medication errors by up to 57% and proved that clinical pharmacists are essential for ensuring accurate and optimized medication use. This study aims to evaluate the role of clinical pharmacist interventions to rectify prescription errors in a pediatric cardiac care setting in Pakistan.

Methods: This single-center retrospective study was conducted from January to August 2022 in a pediatric cardiac ward at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. Pediatric patients of all age groups and genders diagnosed with acquired, inherited, or congenital heart diseases were included. We reviewed patient files for any prescription changes made by the clinical pharmacist, based on a comprehensive review of the patient profile, treatment regimens, and laboratory results, to ensure safe and effective pharmacotherapy.

Results: 260 pharmacist interventions were observed among 2754 patients over eight months, demonstrating a significant role in mitigating medication errors. The interventions addressed wrong doses (126), incorrect frequencies (101), redundant coverage (23), and therapy duration errors (8). Antibiotics were the most frequent source of prescription errors, accounting for 81% of the interventions.

Conclusion: Clinical pharmacists' involvement in pediatric cardiac care significantly reduces medication errors in LMICs, as demonstrated by this study. These findings underscore the need to integrate clinical pharmacists into multidisciplinary teams to enhance medication safety and improve patient outcomes.