Pharmacist‑Based Interventions Analysis to Reduce Drug-Related Problems for Surgery Patients

The misuse of drugs is detrimental and prevalent among hospitalized patients. Patients admitted to general surgery wards typically face a significant risk of Drug-Related Problems (DRPs). This Randomized Controlling Trails (RCT) sought to evaluate the efficacy of a healthcare program on surgical wards for identifying and mitigating DRPs compared to regular healthcare. This research was performed in standard surgical wards encompassing gastrointestinal, arterial, and orthopedic procedures at a central teaching facility for six months. Enrolled participants were randomized into treatment or controlling categories. Medical pharmacists evaluated participants’ DRPs and proposed solutions to address the detected DRPs in the treatment category. The treatment category (n=75) and the controlling category (n=70) had an average age of 58.5 years, with 53.0% of participants being female. 1100 DRPs were detected, averaging 9.2 per participant (intervention category, 9.1 ± 3.5; control category, 9.5 ± 3.5). The often recognized DRPs comprised concerns about safety (25.4%) and effectiveness (18.5%). The adoption rate of pharmacists' suggestions by doctors was notably high at 95%, accompanied by a DRP corrective rate of 60.5% throughout hospitalization. The efficacy of pharmacological care was demonstrated by attaining medical goals and preventing mortality, achieving 69.3% in the treatment category, in contrast to 20.4% in the controlling category (p<0.001). This research demonstrates that DRPs are prevalent amongst surgery recipients, particularly concerning drug effectiveness and safety. Pharmacists' suggestions significantly aided in addressing the majority of reported DRPs and enhanced medication management for general surgical participants