Scientific Poster Session IV: Residents and Fellows Research-in-Progress

Residents and Fellows Research in Progress
  Tuesday, November 14, 2023
  08:30 AM–10:00 AM

Abstract

Introduction: Critical care pharmacists (CCPs) have an established role on the interprofessional healthcare team through preventing adverse drug events, improving patient-centered outcomes, and reducing healthcare costs. At present, CCPs are an inequitably distributed and non-optimized healthcare resource due to lack of conclusive relationships between CCP workload and patient-centered outcomes. A previous large, multi-center study observed higher patient workloads were related to increased length of stay. The purpose of this study is to further explore the relationship between pharmacist-to-patient ratio and patient outcomes.

Research Question or Hypothesis: Does high pharmacist workload result in increased mortality?

Study Design: Multi-center, observational cohort study

Methods: CCPs will be recruited through a voluntary survey that will gather participant demographics, institutional demographics, and workload characteristics. Participating CCPs will then prospectively record their daily patient workload (including rounding team census, total care census, ICU and non-ICU census) and additional workload factors for a 100-day period. A retrospective data collection period will follow in which patient demographics, severity of illness, medication regimen complexity scores, and outcomes will be recorded via chart review of the electronic medical record. Patients admitted to the ICU for over 24 hours will be included. The primary independent variable will be the patient level, average CCP-to-patient ratio. Descriptive and inferential statistical tests will be used as appropriate.

Results: Data collection will begin August 2023. Projected completion and data analysis is March 2024. Based on initial recruitment efforts, enrollment of 220 CCPs from 90 unique sites is anticipated. Final sample size is projected to exceed 10,000 patients.

Conclusion: A correlation demonstrating that patients cared for by CCPs with high patient care burden experience worse patient-centered outcomes (e.g., length of stay, mortality) is anticipated. Indicators of high patient care burden include settings of a pharmacist-to-patient ratio greater than 1:15.

Presenting Author

Amoreena Most PharmD
University of Georgia

Authors

Kelli Keats PharmD,MPA, BCCCP
AU Medical Center

Mojdeh Heavner PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM
University of Maryland School of Pharmacy

Kara Phillips PharmD Candidate
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy

Andrea Sikora Newsome PharmD, MSCR, BCCCP, FCCM
Augusta University Medical Center/UGA College of Pharmacy

Susan E. Smith PharmD, BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy