IMPACT OF A NEW CLINICAL PHARMACY CONSULTATION SYSTEM: A RETROSPECTIVE STUDY AT A TRAINING AND RESEARCH HOSPITAL IN TÜRKİYE

Objective: The clinical pharmacy specialization program (CPSEP), initiated in 2018, aims to train expert pharmacists for clinical pharmacy services in hospitals. No study has yet evaluated medication therapy recommendations within the first "clinical pharmacy consultation system (CPCS)" integrated into Türkiye’s hospital framework. This study aims to assess the clinical pharmacy services delivered through the CPCS. Material and Method: This study was conducted on a tertiary-level hospital in Istanbul between February 2024-January 2025. The first 11 months of CPCS integration were evaluated. Result and Discussion: Sixty-nine patients were consulted, mostly adults (59.4%), primarily in hospital wards (65.2%) and intensive care units (26.1%). Common diagnoses included acute kidney injury (34.8%), infections (29.0%), and hematological malignancies (18.8%). Patients had a median of 9 medications (IQR, 8–15) and 2 comorbidities (IQR, 1–3). Common consultation reasons were adverse drug reactions (39.1%), potential drug interactions (27.5%), medication errors (14.5%), and inappropriate drug selection (5.8%). Eighty recommendations were provided, mostly regarding drug/laboratory monitoring (44.9%), dose adjustments (15.9%), and drug initiation/substitution (15.9%). Most consultations (84.1%) involved a single recommendation. These findings indicate that CPCS is actively used in drug therapy management within the national healthcare system. Although around five similar systems have been integrated in Turkish hospitals since 2023, this study presents the first published results of CPCS.