What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review

Abstract Pharmacy services within hospitals are changing, with more taking on medication reconciliation activities. This systematic review was conducted to determine the measured impacts of Pharmacy teams working in an acute or emergency medicine department. The protocol followed the Preferred Repor...

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Main Authors: Ekta Punj, Abbie Collins, Nirlep Agravedi, John Marriott, Elizabeth Sapey
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Wiley 2022-10-01
Series:Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
Subjects:
Online Access:https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.1007
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author Ekta Punj
Abbie Collins
Nirlep Agravedi
John Marriott
Elizabeth Sapey
author_facet Ekta Punj
Abbie Collins
Nirlep Agravedi
John Marriott
Elizabeth Sapey
author_sort Ekta Punj
collection DOAJ
description Abstract Pharmacy services within hospitals are changing, with more taking on medication reconciliation activities. This systematic review was conducted to determine the measured impacts of Pharmacy teams working in an acute or emergency medicine department. The protocol followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was prospectively registered on PROSPERO, National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK registration number: CRD42020187487. The systematic review had two co‐primary aims: a reduction in the number of incorrect prescriptions on admission by comparing the medication list from primary care to secondary care, and a reduction in the severity of harm caused by these incorrect prescriptions; chosen to determine the impact of pharmacy‐led medication reconciliation services in the emergency and acute medicine setting. Seventeen articles were included. Fifteen were non‐randomized controlled trials and two were randomized controlled trials. The number of patients combined for all studies was 7630. No studies included were based within the UK. All studies showed benefits in terms of a reduction in medicine errors and patient harm, compared to control arms. Nine articles were included in a statistical analysis comparing the pharmacy intervention arm with the non‐pharmacy control arm, with a Chi2 of 101.10 and I2 value = 92%. However, studies were heterogenous with different outcome measures and many showed evidence of bias. The included studies consistently indicated that pharmacy services based within acute or emergency medicine departments in hospitals were associated with fewer medication errors. Further studies are needed to understand the health and economic impact of deploying a pharmacy service in acute medical settings including out‐of‐hours working.
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spelling doaj.art-111b16060fa146efa850da82795df4ea2022-12-22T04:30:14ZengWileyPharmacology Research & Perspectives2052-17072022-10-01105n/an/a10.1002/prp2.1007What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic reviewEkta Punj0Abbie Collins1Nirlep Agravedi2John Marriott3Elizabeth Sapey4Clinical Research Network University of Birmingham Birmingham UKPharmacy Department University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Birmingham UKPharmacy Department University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust Birmingham UKUniversity of Birmingham Birmingham UKUniversity of Birmingham Birmingham UKAbstract Pharmacy services within hospitals are changing, with more taking on medication reconciliation activities. This systematic review was conducted to determine the measured impacts of Pharmacy teams working in an acute or emergency medicine department. The protocol followed the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta‐Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines and was prospectively registered on PROSPERO, National Institute for Health and Care Research, UK registration number: CRD42020187487. The systematic review had two co‐primary aims: a reduction in the number of incorrect prescriptions on admission by comparing the medication list from primary care to secondary care, and a reduction in the severity of harm caused by these incorrect prescriptions; chosen to determine the impact of pharmacy‐led medication reconciliation services in the emergency and acute medicine setting. Seventeen articles were included. Fifteen were non‐randomized controlled trials and two were randomized controlled trials. The number of patients combined for all studies was 7630. No studies included were based within the UK. All studies showed benefits in terms of a reduction in medicine errors and patient harm, compared to control arms. Nine articles were included in a statistical analysis comparing the pharmacy intervention arm with the non‐pharmacy control arm, with a Chi2 of 101.10 and I2 value = 92%. However, studies were heterogenous with different outcome measures and many showed evidence of bias. The included studies consistently indicated that pharmacy services based within acute or emergency medicine departments in hospitals were associated with fewer medication errors. Further studies are needed to understand the health and economic impact of deploying a pharmacy service in acute medical settings including out‐of‐hours working.https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.1007emergency medicinemedication errorsmedication reconciliationpharmac*
spellingShingle Ekta Punj
Abbie Collins
Nirlep Agravedi
John Marriott
Elizabeth Sapey
What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review
Pharmacology Research & Perspectives
emergency medicine
medication errors
medication reconciliation
pharmac*
title What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review
title_full What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review
title_fullStr What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review
title_full_unstemmed What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review
title_short What is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients: A systematic review
title_sort what is the evidence that a pharmacy team working in an acute or emergency medicine department improves outcomes for patients a systematic review
topic emergency medicine
medication errors
medication reconciliation
pharmac*
url https://doi.org/10.1002/prp2.1007
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