Feasibility of the pharmacist - led pharmaceutical care service at the surgical department of the National Hospital of the Faroe Islands

• Published in: International Journal of Integrated Care
• Main Authors: Jacobsen, Ramune, Christiansen, Maria, Joensen, Niels
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English
• Published: Ubiquity Press 2022
• Subjects: Faroe Islands; National hospital of the Faroe Islands; Thorshavn
• Online Access: https://www.ijic.org/jms/article/view/6694; https://doi.org/10.5334/ijic.ICIC21131

IntroductionClinical pharmacists are employed at many hospital departments in Denmark where their job is to identify, solve and prevent drug related problems. On the Faroe Islands, this pharmaceutical service is yet to be implemented in the hospitals. The purpose of this study was to investigate the need for a clinical pharmacist-led pharmaceutical service at the surgical ward at the hospital in Thorshavn and to evaluate the doctors’ interest in an interdisciplinary cooperation and to find out how well the current work standards and systems are qualified for a future implementation of this pharmaceutical service. MethodHospitalised surgical patients were over a period of seven weeks offered a medication review by a clinical pharmacist. Identified drug related problems were classified according to the PCNE model and the level of acceptance of amendments by the department doctors was calculated. This inquiry was supplemented by a qualitative input, with the purpose to evaluate the doctors’ interest and potential challenges regarding the current work standards and systems at the department. Results42 patients were included and a total of 171 drug related problems were identified. The majority of the already manifested problems were regarding suboptimal effect or absence of drug treatment, while the identified problems regarding the safety of the drug treatment, for the most part, were potential problems. The level of acceptance of amendments by the department doctors was 49.6 %. According to the qualitative input, the interest was greater among the younger doctors. An absence of an indication for ordinations challenged the medication reviews and the pharmacist notations in the electronic health record were not visible enough. DiscussionThe results indicate that a pharmacist could solve many of the problems at the surgical department by focusing on appropriate choice of drug and its dose. The doctors have an interest in the service. Current work standards and systems proved some challenges regarding the implementation of the service. ConclusionThe surgical department in the Thorshavn hospital could benefit from a clinical pharmaceutical service. Lessons learnedFor a future implementation to be successful, it is recommended that a work is made towards a further improvement of the doctors’ interests in an interdisciplinary cooperation, and that an attempt is made to solve the identified challenges regarding current work standards and systems. LimitationsThe project was a pharmacy student master project, thus a limited experience of a clinical pharmacist could be a potential limitation. On the other hand, the master student was especially thorough and careful in conducting medication reviews. Suggestions for future researchSeveral further research directions could be suggested. First, one could do a more systematic process evaluation conducting in depth and focus groups interviews with the department staff and patients. Second, the effects of the service on patients’ outcomes could be explored. Finally, implementation potential and scaling up possibilities in the other hospital departments as well as other hospitals on the Faroe Islands could be investigated.