The role of clinical pharmacists in multidisciplinary teams for postoperative pain management in lumbar spine surgery: A prospective study

Context: The role of clinical pharmacists in a multidisciplinary team (MDT) related to pain management is still limited in Vietnamese hospitals. Aims: To evaluate the impact of clinical pharmacists within a multidisciplinary team (MDT) on postoperative pain management, focusing on the optimization of analgesic usage, drug safety, fentanyl consumption, and pain scores. Methods: Conducted at a tertiary hospital in Vietnam, this before-and-after study involved lumbar spine surgery patients. The intervention group received pharmacist-led MDT care, focusing on adherence to clinical pathways, minimizing adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and managing fentanyl use and pain levels using the Verbal Analogue Scale (VAS). Results: Eighty patients participated, split evenly between intervention and control groups. The intervention group showed significant improvements in analgesic compliance (97.5% vs. 80.0%, p=0.04) and a higher usage of nefopam over gabapentinoids. Although reductions in fentanyl dose and pain scores were observed, these changes were not statistically significant. Conclusions: Clinical pharmacists effectively enhanced pain management and drug safety within the MDT framework. Further research is necessary to more definitively ascertain the impact on pain scores.