Clinical Pharmacist Interventions on Rational use of Higher Antibiotics in a Tertiary Care Hospital

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of clinical pharmacist interventions on rational use of higher antibiotics in a selected tertiary care hospital. Methods: It was a prospective interventional study using retrospective data as control and the patients admitted under medical departments prescribed with higher antibiotics with age ≥18yrs were selected. Findings: A total of 200 patients were included in the study based on convenient sampling. Many drug related problems were identified in both retrospective as well as prospective arms with no statistically significant difference between the arms based on chi square test at 5 % level of significance. The DRPs were evaluated and classified in accordance to Pharmaceutical care network Europe (PCNE) system. In prospective group, out of 100 cases around 43 cases were identified and intervened with DRPs. And in retrospective group 42 out of 100 cases were identified with DRPs that could have been intervened. The degree of agreement with empirical therapy and culture report reduced from 42.4 %( retrospective arm) to 41.1% (Prospective arm). Conclusion: Clinical pharmacist can play an important role in minimizing drug related problems, a contributing factor of antibiotic resistance; hence prevent the emergence of antibiotic resistance to some extent.