Korean J Clin Pharm.  2024 Mar;34(1):62-70. 10.24304/kjcp.2024.34.1.62.

Evaluation of Pharmacists’ Intervention Activities in Community Pharmacy

• Koo H
• Seong JM
• Jung SY
• Jeong KH

• KMID: 2564361
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.24304/kjcp.2024.34.1.62

Abstract

Background
Drug-related problems have the potential to threaten patient health, and pharmacists are in a position to prevent such problems through prescription reviews and patient counseling, actively engaging in pharmaceutical care activities. This study aims to categorize and analyze the intervention activities of pharmacists in community pharmacies concerning drug-related problems, following international criteria. Methods: Over a six-month period, prescription interventions completed in a com- munity pharmacy in Seoul were selected as the research subjects. The causes of interventions were classified according to the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) drug-related problems (DRPs) classification system and the types and frequencies of DRPs were identified. Results: Among a total of 49,334 prescriptions, 527 interventions were completed, constituting approximately 1.07% of the daily average filled prescriptions. Individuals over 60 years of age represented more than 50%. The primary cause of DRPs was prescribing and drug selection issues, comprising 256 cases (48.58%), with specific subcategories including 109 cases of drug selection, 79 cases of treatment duration errors, 47 cases of dose selection, and 21 cases of inappropriate dosage form selection. Patient-related issues accounted for 204 cases (38.71%). Conclusion: The study demonstrated that the pharmacists’ intervention in community pharmacies contributes to the safe use of medication by patients.

Keyword

Community pharmacies; drug-related problems; PCNE classification system; pharmaceutical care; pharmacist inter-vention