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Pharmacy residents in the intensive care unit: education and training

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European Statement

Clinical Pharmacy Services

Author(s)

Pilar Lalueza Broto, Laura Domenech Moral, Alba Pau Parra, Ángel Arévalo Bernabé, Danae Anguita Domingo, Anna Rey Pérez, Jacinto Baena Caparrós, Marcelino Baguena Martínez, María Queralt Gorgas Torner, Mónica Rodriguez Carballeira

Why was it done?

The four-year specialist training program for Hospital Pharmacy in Spain includes one year of clinical training, involving rotations through various medical units where residents develop their clinical skills. This forms an essential component of clinical proficiency and integration into the healthcare team.

The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) was chosen because the presence of a pharmacist during rounds as a full member of the care team has been associated with a reduced rate of adverse drug events.

What was done?

We developed a standardized medication audit tool to ensure uniform pharmaceutical care delivery, aligned with the Hospital Pharmacy Specialty training program.

How was it done?

We designed a pharmacotherapeutic monitoring chart containing biodemographic and clinical data, analytical parameters, and clinical issues for each patient. A multidisciplinary team, comprising staff physicians and pharmacy resident tutors, identified the most common clinical problems or key issues for different types of patients admitted to critical care units, as well as specific clinical problems related to particular pathologies. Pharmacotherapeutic recommendations were based on clinical evidence or internal protocols. Common key issues included nutritional support, fluid resuscitation, thromboembolic prophylaxis, hemodynamic monitoring, infection management, drug monitoring, and sedative and analgesic therapy. We defined specific efficacy and safety indicators for each clinical problem. Additionally, we monitored specific outstanding problems in particular patient types.

We also implemented a model for recording and coding pharmaceutical interventions.

What has been achieved?

The pharmacotherapeutic monitoring chart has enabled us to establish standards for pharmaceutical care in the ICU, promoting consistency among the entire care team and optimizing pharmacotherapy outcomes in patients. It also facilitates the assessment of residents’ skill acquisition during their training.

What next?

In the future, assessing the tool’s usefulness and its impact on residents’ training benefits will be of interest. Moreover, it may serve as a reference model for other clinical rotations.

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