Pharmacotherapeutic follow-up in a respiratory intensive care unit: description and analysis of results

OBJECTIVE: To describe and evaluate the pharmacotherapeutic follow-up by a clinical pharmacist in an intensive care unit. METHODS: A descriptive and cross-sectional study carried out from August to October 2016. The data were collected through a form, and pharmacotherapeutic follow-up conducted by a clinical pharmacist at the respiratory intensive care unit of a tertiary hospital. The problems recorded in the prescriptions were quantified, classified and evaluated according to severity; the recommendations made by the pharmacist were analyzed considering the impact on pharmacotherapy. The medications involved in the problems were classified according to the Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification System. RESULTS: Forty-six patients were followed up and 192 pharmacotherapy-related problems were registered. The most prevalent problems were missing information on the prescription (33.16%), and those with minor severity (37.5%). Of the recommendations made to optimize pharmacotherapy, 92.7% were accepted, particularly those on inclusion of infusion time (16.67%), and dose appropriateness (13.02%), with greater impact on toxicity (53.6%). Antimicrobials, in general, for systemic use were drug class most often related to problems in pharmacotherapy (53%). CONCLUSION: Pharmacotherapeutic follow-up conducted by a pharmacist in a respiratory intensive care unit was able to detect problems in drug therapy and to make clinically relevant recommendations.