The Role of the Clinical Pharmacist in Poison-Related Admissions in a Secondary Care Hospital

Autor: M Kaleemuddin, SD Rajendran, S Bhojraj
Rok vydání: 2001
Předmět:
Zdroj: The Australian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy. 31:26-30
ISSN: 0310-6810
DOI: 10.1002/jppr200131126
Popis: Objective: To assess the value of a clinical pharmacy program to optimise the management of poison-related admissions to a secondary care hospital in Ootacamund, India. Methods: A baseline study was carried out to determine the types of poisoning encountered at the hospital. Agrochemicals and other locally available chemicals were surveyed and a simple method for identification of poisons developed. Protocols for the management of poisoning were developed and physicians and nurses were educated on the use of protocols and identification methods. Outcome measures were assessed. Results: During the 13 month program, there were 292 poisoning cases. Poisoning due to agrochemicals caused the majority of admissions (178 cases). All but four cases were found to be of poisoning with homicidal intent. Clinical pharmacist intervention reduced the number of unidentified poisons from 24% to 7.1%. The overall death rates in the three periods were 10%, 13% and 9.7%. None of three patients admitted with paraquat poisoning survived in the pre-intervention period; however, eight patients survived this condition in the post-intervention period. The mean number of drugs used per patient declined from 5.5 to 4.1 and the mean length of patient stay at the hospital decreased from 6.2 to 4.1 days. Conclusion: Clinical pharmacist involvement improved the identification of poisons and treatment protocols for poisoning. The program could have contributed to reduced fatalities and improved therapeutic outcomes for survivors. (author abstract)
Databáze: OpenAIRE