Pharmacist-led medication reviews in pre-dialysis and dialysis patients

Prevalence of potentially inappropriately prescribed medications among older adults receiving peritoneal dialysis

INTRODUCTION

The prevalence of exposure to supratherapeutic doses or contraindicated medications based on renal dosing criteria, also known as potentially inappropriately prescribed medications (PIPM), is currently unknown among patients on peritoneal dialysis (PD). The primary objective of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of PIPM in the first year of PD among Medicare patients in the United States.

METHODS

This was a retrospective longitudinal cohort analysis of patients starting PD in 2018 in the United States Renal Data System database. Inclusion criteria were patients >65 years of age, continuously enrolled in Medicare Part D for 12 months, and prescribed ≥1 medication(s) at the start of dialysis. Prevalence of exposure to PIPM was determined at the start of dialysis and quarterly over 1 year. Logistic regression evaluated which patient characteristics (age, sex, race, Hispanic ethnicity, rurality, social deprivation index (SDI), United States region, polypharmacy, and diagnosis of diabetes and hypertension) were associated with exposure to ≥1 PIPM at the start of PD.

RESULTS

There were 3760 patients included, and 28% were exposed to PIPM at the start of dialysis, and 21.8% were still exposed by the end of the first year. Patients with ≥4 versus <4 medications were at 2.8-14.1 times the odds of being exposed to PIPM (<0.001). Other key characteristics associated with exposure to PIPM were age ≥85 versus <75 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.67, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.48-0.95 p = 0.03), living in the South versus the Northeast (aOR 1.30 95% CI 1.02-1.66, p = 0.04), and diagnosis of diabetes (aOR 1.52, 95% CI 1.29-1.78, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

This study found that approximately 20%-30% of patients receiving PD were exposed to PIPM from 2018 to 2019. Results from this study support the need to create medication management programs to decrease exposure to PIPM.

Drug-Related Problems Among Peritoneal Dialysis Patients: A 12-Year Retrospective Cohort Study

Introduction Studies regarding drug-related problems (DRPs) can be found in other diseases, but data are lacking among peritoneal dialysis (PD) populations. Despite advancements in PD care, there remains a significant gap in understanding and addressing DRPs in the PD population. DRPs can lead to serious consequences, including medication errors, adverse reactions, and nonadherence, affecting patient outcomes and healthcare costs. Aim The aim of this study was to identify the prevalence of DRPs, types, causes, interventions performed, acceptance of interventions, and outcomes of DRPs among patients undergoing PD. In addition to this, the study sought to identify factors associated with DRPs in the PD population. Methods This single-center retrospective study recruited adult PD patients with at least one medication from January 2009 until November 2021. Pharmacy medication therapy adherence clinic (MTAC) clinical activity sheets were reviewed, and DRPs were classified based on the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe Classification (PCNE) v9.1. The PCNE system consists of five essential domains: Problems (P), Causes (C), Interventions (I), Acceptance of the Intervention (A), and Outcomes (O). As part of the pharmacists' MTAC activities, DRPs were meticulously documented. Three pharmacists initially gathered and examined these recorded DRPs. Each identified DRP was then classified according to the type of problem, the underlying cause, any intervention performed to address the DRP, the level of acceptance, and the resulting outcome. Subsequently, these classifications were reviewed by two independent pharmacists to ensure accuracy and consistency. Results Out of 562 patients, 70.6% (n = 397) were on more than 10 drugs. Most patients (n = 520, 92.5%) had at least one DRP. From the 3,333 DRPs identified, the most common were effects of drug treatment not optimal (n = 1,595, 47.8%), followed by untreated symptoms (n = 843, 25.3%) and adverse drug events (n = 730, 21.9%). The main cause of the suboptimal treatment effect was patients' noncompliance (n = 891, 55.9%). For untreated symptoms, the main cause was no drug prescribed despite existing indications (n = 789, 93.6%). Interventions for DRPs were at either prescriber level (n = 2,064, 61.9%), patient-level (n = 1,244, 37.3%), or at other levels, such as with nurses (n = 25, 0.8%). Prescribers accepted 83% (n = 1713) of interventions suggested by pharmacists. Overall, 73.2% (n = 2,439) of DRPs were resolved. Number of medications (b = 0.223, 0.102-0.345) and number of MTAC visits (b = 0.381, 0.344-0.419) were predictive factors of the number of DRPs (p < 0.001). Conclusion There is a high prevalence of DRPs in PD patients. Pharmacists play an important role in detecting, intervening, and resolving DRPs to improve patients' outcomes.

The Effects of Pharmacist-Led Medication Therapy Management on Medication Adherence and Use of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug in Patients with Pre-End Stage Renal Disease

Purpose

Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) are particularly vulnerable to the risks of polypharmacy, largely owing to various comorbid conditions. This vulnerability is further compounded by an escalated risk of renal function deterioration when exposed to nephrotoxic medications. As part of the national health insurance program in Taiwan, the pre-end-stage kidney disease patient care and education plan has included pharmaceutical care since October 2021. This study aims to explore the effect of pharmacist involvement in a multidisciplinary care team for patients with kidney disease in outpatient settings.

Patients and Methods

This retrospective observational study was conducted at a single center. It analyzed data from May 2022 to May 2023, focusing on patients who received medication therapy management in the kidney disease pharmacist-managed clinic. The study assessed changes in patient medication adherence, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) usage, CKD stage, and urine protein-to-creatinine ratio (UPCR) after pharmacist intervention. It also documented pharmacists' medication recommendations and the rate of acceptance by physicians.

Results

A total of 202 patients who had at least two clinic visits were included in the study. After pharmacist intervention, the proportion of poor medication adherence reduced significantly from 67.8% to 43.1% (p<0.001). The proportion of NSAID users also decreased significantly from 19.8% to 8.4% (p=0.001). CKD stage showed a significant reduction (p=0.007), and the average UPCR improved from 2828.4 to 2111.0 mg/g (p<0.001). The pharmacists provided a total of 56 medication recommendations, with an acceptance rate of 86%.

Conclusion

The involvement of pharmacists in the multidisciplinary care team can effectively provide medication-related recommendations, ensuring the effectiveness and safety of patients' medication use, and lead to better kidney function and lower proteinuria.

Telephone versus In-Person Pharmacist-Led Medication Reviews in Home Dialysis Patients: Evaluating Quality of Care and Patient Satisfaction

The COVID-19 pandemic required pharmacists in a provincial Home Dialysis Clinic to adapt from in-person to telephone-based medication reviews. Studies have shown that in-person pharmacist interventions in patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) lead to a reduction of drug therapy problems (DTPs), however, it's unknown if telephone interventions provide similar outcomes. The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether differences in quality of care exist between in-person vs. telephone medication reviews in home dialysis patients and to evaluate patient satisfaction with telephone medication reviews. Data from the two most recent in-person medication reviews was compared with the two most recent telephone medication reviews for each patient (n = 46). There were no statistically significant differences in DTPs identified between in-person and telephone medication reviews (p = 0.431). Physician acceptance of pharmacist recommendations was higher for in-person medication reviews (p = 0.009). Patients were satisfied with the care they received with pharmacist-led telephone medication reviews, however, 29% (n = 7) would prefer an in-person medication review once per year with telephone medication reviews the rest of the time. Overall, patients were satisfied with the care they received from telephone medication reviews.

The impact of clinical pharmacist-physician communication on reducing drug-related problems: a mixed study design in a tertiary teaching Hospital in Xinjiang, China

BACKGROUND

The incidence of drug-related problems (DRPs) has caused serious health hazards and economic burdens among polymedicine patients. Effective communication between clinical pharmacists and physicians has a significant impact on reducing DRPs, but the evidence is poor. This study aimed to explore the impact of communication between clinical pharmacists and physicians on reducing DRPs.

METHODS

A semistructured interview was conducted to explore the communication mode between clinical pharmacists and physicians based on the interprofessional approach of the shared decision-making model and relational coordination theory. A randomized controlled trial (RCT) was used to explore the effects of communication intervention on reducing DRPs. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify the influencing factors of communication.

RESULTS

The mode of communication is driven by clinical pharmacists between clinical pharmacists and physicians and selectively based on different DRP types. Normally, the communication contents only cover two (33.8%) types of DRP contents or fewer (35.1%). The communication time averaged 5.8 minutes. The communication way is predominantly face-to-face (91.3%), but telephone or other online means (such as WeChat) may be preferred for urgent tasks or long physical distances. Among the 367 participants, 44 patients had DRPs. The RCT results indicated a significant difference in DRP incidence between the control group and the intervention group after the communication intervention (p = 0.02), and the incidence of DRPs in the intervention group was significantly reduced (15.6% vs. 0.07%). Regression analysis showed that communication time had a negative impact on DRP incidence (OR = 13.22, p < 0.001).

CONCLUSION

The communication mode based on the interprofessional approach of the shared decision-making between clinical pharmacists and physicians in medication decision-making could significantly reduce the incidence of DRPs, and the length of communication time is a significant factor. The longer the communication time is, the fewer DRPs that occur.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

This trial was approved by the ethics committee of The First Affiliated Hospital of Medical College of Xinjiang Shihezi University Hospital (kj2020-087-03) and registered in the China clinical trial registry (https://www.chictr.org.cn , number ChiCTR2000035321 date: 08/08/2020).

Pharmacists’ strategies to detect, resolve, and prevent DRPs in CKD patients

Pharmacists have undergone obstacles in the process of detecting, resolving, and preventing CKD patients’ DRPs. Thus, optimal strategies were needed. A total of 19 articles were included based on the article searching process. Based on the articles, it can be concluded: The strategies of detecting DRPs in CKD patients were carried out through medication reconciliation and medication review. The outcomes of these strategies were the number of DRPs/patients and types of DRPs detected. Strategies to resolve and prevent DRPs in CKD patients were conducted through interprofessional collaboration, education, and counselling. The outcome of these strategies was a change in the patients’ DRPs status. Optimization of detection, resolution, and prevention strategies were performed by improving pharmacists’ professional hard and soft-skills as well as modifying the pharmaceutical care delivery model. A decrease in the number of DRPs/patients and a change in DRPs status were reported as the outcomes of optimizing this process.

Pharmacist impact on medication dosing and billable coding accuracy in outpatients with chronic kidney disease

BACKGROUND

Ambulatory care pharmacists can enhance economic and clinical outcomes as part of interdisciplinary health care teams. Patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD) often have complex medication regimens, potentially resulting in dosing errors and drug interactions.

OBJECTIVE

To demonstrate the impact that clinic-based pharmacists may have in populations comprising ambulatory patients with CKD.

PRACTICE DESCRIPTION

Community-owned, not-for-profit health system with outpatient, primary, and specialty care clinics.

PRACTICE INNOVATION

This quality-assurance, cohort, interventional study included patients aged at least 18 years with a CKD- or end-stage renal disease-associated diagnosis code seen by a clinic primary care provider at least once between January and June 2019. Primary outcomes included the number of medications requiring pharmacist intervention, pharmacist-initiated recommendations, and associated outcomes.

EVALUATION METHODS

Patients were randomly assigned to 2 cohorts. Providers of patients in the proactive pharmacist intervention group were notified of pharmacist recommendations immediately after initial data collection. Providers of patients in the group undergoing usual care (control group) were notified of identified medication recommendations after a 3-month period of usual care. Demographics were assessed using descriptive statistics. Differences in CKD staging, number of recommendations made, and provider responses were assessed using the chi-square, Fisher exact, and Mann-Whitney U tests.

RESULTS

A total of 182 patients were eligible for inclusion. In the intervention group, 22.1% of patients were identified as having inappropriately dosed medications versus 19.5% in the control group. In the intervention group, 46 of the 95 patients (48.4%) had an inaccurate CKD stage documented compared with 48 of the 87 patients (55.2%) in the control group (P = 0.772). The rate of pharmacist recommendation rejection substantially decreased between the intervention and control groups' provider responses (24% to 11.8%).

CONCLUSION

Pharmacist-initiated recommendations resulted in the identification and resolution of medication-dosing errors and improved collaboration between providers and pharmacists.