Analysis of Pharmacist Interventions to Reduce Medication-Related Problems in a Neonatal Clinical Care Unit

(1) Background: Medication-related problems (MRPs) are a significant burden on health care systems. Pharmacists play an important role in preventing and reducing MRPs through clinical review, education, and policy governance. This study analyzed pharmacist interventions within a 92-bed neonatal clinical care unit to better understand MRPs and guide targeted medication safety initiatives. (2) Methods: All pharmacist interventions documented in REDCap<sup>®</sup> between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2025 were analyzed identifying MRP incidence, types, and acceptability following interventions. (3) Results: A total of 873 pharmacist interventions were recorded during the study period. The most common MRPs were related to dosing errors (320/873, 36.7%), compliance with hospital policy (152/873, 17.4%), no indication apparent (106/873, 12.1%), drug interactions (66/873, 7.6%), and inadequate laboratory monitoring (40/873, 4.6%). Of these, 545/873, 62.4% were accepted by prescribers, while 228/873, 26.1% had unknown outcomes at the time of data entry. 343/873, 39.3% of interventions documented were from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, involving medications such as gentamicin (<i>n</i> = 46/343, 13.4%), benzylpenicillin (<i>n</i> = 37/343, 10.8%), caffeine (<i>n</i> = 34/343, 9.9%), parenteral nutrition (<i>n</i> = 23/343, 6.7%), and morphine (<i>n</i> = 16/343, 4.7%) and meropenem (<i>n</i> = 16/343, 4.7%)). (4) Conclusions: Regular analysis of pharmacist interventions provides valuable insights into local MRP trends and highlights opportunities for quality improvement and education.

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Journal
Pharmacy
Published
2026-03-02
DOI
https://doi.org/10.3390/pharmacy14020040
Primary Topic
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
Type
article
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article

Analysis of Pharmacist Interventions to Reduce Medication-Related Problems in a Neonatal Clinical Care Unit

Nabeelah Mukadam, Tamara Lebedevs, Geena Dickson, Marcus Femia et al.
Pharmacy
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
article

Analysis of Pharmacist Interventions to Reduce Medication-Related Problems in a Neonatal Clinical Care Unit

Nabeelah Mukadam, Tamara Lebedevs, Geena Dickson, Marcus Femia, Stephanie W. K. Teoh
article en

Abstract

(1) Background: Medication-related problems (MRPs) are a significant burden on health care systems. Pharmacists play an important role in preventing and reducing MRPs through clinical review, education, and policy governance. This study analyzed pharmacist interventions within a 92-bed neonatal clinical care unit to better understand MRPs and guide targeted medication safety initiatives. (2) Methods: All pharmacist interventions documented in REDCap<sup>®</sup> between 1 July 2022 and 30 June 2025 were analyzed identifying MRP incidence, types, and acceptability following interventions. (3) Results: A total of 873 pharmacist interventions were recorded during the study period. The most common MRPs were related to dosing errors (320/873, 36.7%), compliance with hospital policy (152/873, 17.4%), no indication apparent (106/873, 12.1%), drug interactions (66/873, 7.6%), and inadequate laboratory monitoring (40/873, 4.6%). Of these, 545/873, 62.4% were accepted by prescribers, while 228/873, 26.1% had unknown outcomes at the time of data entry. 343/873, 39.3% of interventions documented were from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, involving medications such as gentamicin (<i>n</i> = 46/343, 13.4%), benzylpenicillin (<i>n</i> = 37/343, 10.8%), caffeine (<i>n</i> = 34/343, 9.9%), parenteral nutrition (<i>n</i> = 23/343, 6.7%), and morphine (<i>n</i> = 16/343, 4.7%) and meropenem (<i>n</i> = 16/343, 4.7%)). (4) Conclusions: Regular analysis of pharmacist interventions provides valuable insights into local MRP trends and highlights opportunities for quality improvement and education.

PharmacyVol. 14(2)
King Edward Memorial Hospital (AU)
Openalex Percentile: Top 37%
Pharmaceutical Practices and Patient Outcomes
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