Late Breaking Original Research
Saturday, November 11, 2023
11:30 AM–01:00 PM
Abstract
Introduction: Critical care pharmacists are considered essential members of the healthcare team; however, justification and recruitment of new positions, especially in the evening or weekend shifts, remains a significant challenge. The purpose of this study was to investigate the number of interventions, type of interventions and associated cost savings with the addition of one board certified critical care clinical pharmacist to evening shift.
Research Question or Hypothesis: What are the characteristics and associated cost avoidance of the interventions performed by an evening shift critical care pharmacist?
Study Design: Prospective cohort study.
Methods: This was a prospective collection and characterization of one evening shift critical care pharmacist’s clinical interventions over a 12-week period. Interventions were collected and categorized daily from 13:00 to 22:00 Monday through Friday. After collection was complete, cost savings estimates were calculated using pharmacy wholesaler acquisition cost. Descriptive statistics were performed on all variables.
Results: Interventions were collected on 52 of 60 weekdays. A total of 510 interventions were collected with an average of 9.8 interventions accepted per day. The most common interventions included transitions of care, medication dose adjustment, and antibiotic de-escalation and the highest proportion of interventions occurred in the medical intensive care unit. An estimated associated cost avoidance of $66,537.80 was calculated for an average of $1,279.57 saved per day. Additionally, 22 (4.1%) of interventions were considered high yield interventions upon independent review by two pharmacists.
Conclusion: The addition of one board-certified critical care pharmacist to evening shift resulted in multiple interventions across several categories and a significant cost avoidance when calculated using conservative measures.
Presenting Author
Kelli Keats PharmD,MPA, BCCCPAU Medical Center
Authors
Timothy Jones Pharm.D
University of Georgia
Aaron Chase Pharm.D., BCCCP
Augusta University Medical Center
Christy Forehand Pharm.D., BCPS, BCCCP, FCCM
Augusta University Medical Center/UGA College of Pharmacy
Ashley Taylor PharmD, BCCCP
University of Georgia College of Pharmacy / Augusta University Medical Center
Andrea Sikora Newsome PharmD, MSCR, BCCCP, FCCM
Augusta University Medical Center/UGA College of Pharmacy