Work

[Translated article] Evaluation of trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole prescribing and dosage optimisation in a tertiary care hospital

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the impact on improving the appropriateness of prescribing following a pharmaceutical intervention based on the review and optimisation of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim prescriptions. METHODS: A before-after intervention study was conducted in a tertiary hospital. The first period, or intervention period, was prospective and ran from September 2021 to January 2022. The second or post-intervention period was retrospective and covered the period March-December 2022. In case of discrepancy between indication and prescribed and recommended dosage, the physician was notified and the degree of acceptance was recorded. In the post-intervention period, we retrospectively analysed the adequacy of the dosage, checking whether any intervention had been carried out by the Pharmacy Department. Statistical analysis was performed using the chi-square test. RESULTS: During the intervention period, 69 prescriptions were analysed, and 18 were found to be inappropriate (26%), 12 related to Stenotrophomonas maltophilia infection. In the post-intervention period, 129 prescriptions were reviewed, and 12 were considered inadequate (9%). Statistical analysis of the results obtained in both periods (18/69 and 12/129) showed statistically significant differences (p = 0.0082). CONCLUSIONS: Pharmaceutical intervention in the review and optimisation of prescriptions improves the use of sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim. The results obtained provide evidence of the importance of pharmaceutical review of such prescriptions.

Source: Farmacia Hospitalaria

DOI: 10.1016/j.farma.2025.04.006