5PSQ-041 Prioritisation of pharmaceutical interventions within the multidisciplinary team in the intensive care unit
Year: 2025
Type: conference-paper
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: Background and Importance The safety and efficacy of drug treatments are critical for reducing patient morbidity and mortality in the intensive care unit (ICU). The inclusion of a pharmacist may enhance patient safety in this setting. Aim and Objectives This study aims to evaluate to the efficacy of the Medication Regimen Complexity-ICU (MRC-ICU) tool in prioritising pharmaceutical interventions based on drug related problems (DRPs). The goal is to enhance the allocation of pharmaceutical care within the multidisciplinary ICU team. Material and Methods A retrospective, observational study was conducted at a 350-bed hospital with 21 ICU beds, including patients admitted between October and December 2023.The clinical pharmacist interventions were recorded, focusing on identifying and categorising DRPs using the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) criteria. The MRC-ICU scale was utilised to assess medication regimen complexity and rank patients according to their need for pharmaceutical care. Demographic and clinical variables were also collected. Results Out of 280 ICU admissions, 152 pharmaceutical interventions were performed for 59 patients, with 17 patients requiring multiple interventions. Of these, 82% were preventive in nature, while 17% addressed existing DRPs. The most frequently identified drug-related problems were adverse drug reactions (35%), primarily involving ATC groups B (16.6%) and J (11.3%). The majority of interventions (77.4%) targeted prescribers, with an acceptance rate of 73%. Enoxaparin was the most frequently adjusted medication (16.5%), primarily due to dose adjustments. Patients with an MRC-ICU score between 0 and 2 accounted for 53.2% interventions, while only 9.6% had scores exceeding 10. Conclusion and Relevance The MRC-ICU tool was found to have limited applicability for prioritising pharmaceutical interventions in this ICU context. Nevertheless, the findings highlight the importance of structured evaluation of pharmaceutical interventions to improve patient safety and treatment efficacy. Future research should explore alternative tools better tailored to ICU-specific needs. References and/or Acknowledgements Conflict of Interest No conflict of interest
Authors: A Valenzuela Puig, M Blazquez Vidal, I García Del Valle, L Val Prat, M Sanmartin Suñer, P Amorós Reboredo, FD Braga Dias, A Olmo Isasmendi
Institutions: Hospital General de Catalunya, Hospital de Sant Pau
Language: English
Subfield: Geriatrics and Gerontology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: gold
OpenAlex ID: W4408376808