1309. Effects of a Pharmacist-Driven Antiretroviral Stewardship and Transitions of Care Service in Persons Living with HIV/AIDS

BACKGROUND: Historical data demonstrate that PLWHA experience higher rates of medication-related errors when admitted to the inpatient setting. Prior to initiation of this program, rapid-start initiation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) was not implemented prior to discharge. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the impact of a pharmacist-driven antiretroviral stewardship and transitions of care service in persons living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). METHODS: This was a retrospective pre- and post-analysis of PLWHA hospitalized at University of Illinois Hospital (UIH). Patients included were adults following at UIH outpatient clinics for HIV care admitted to UIH for acute care. Data were collected between April 19, 2017 and October 19, 2017 for the pre-implementation phase, and between July 1, 2018 and December 31, 2018 for the post-implementation phase. The post-implementation phase included an HIV-trained clinical pharmacist (Figure 1). Primary and secondary endpoints included follow-up rates at UIH outpatient HIV clinics, 30-day readmission rates, and access to medications at hospital discharge. Statistical analysis included descriptive statistics and Fisher’s Exact test. RESULTS: A total of 119 patients were included in the analysis, 66 in the pre-implementation phase and 53 in the post-implementation phase. Patients included were mostly black males with median age of 48. In the pre-implementation phase 50 out of 65 (77%) patients attended follow-up visits for HIV care at UIH outpatient clinics, vs. 42 out of 47 (89%) patients in the post-implementation phase (P = 0.1329). Thirty-day readmission occurred in 17 of 62 (27%) patients in the pre-implementation phase vs. 5 of 52 (10%) of patients in the post-implementation phase (P = 0.0183). During the post-implementation phase, the HIV pharmacist secured access of ART and opportunistic infection medications prior to discharge for 22 patients (42%), 2 of which were new diagnoses. CONCLUSION: A pharmacist-led antiretroviral stewardship and TOC program led to a decrease in 30-day readmission rates in PLWHA. Although not significant, the HIV-pharmacist led to higher rates of clinic follow-up. Finally, the HIV-pharmacist helped secure access to ART and initiate rapid-start therapy in newly diagnosed patients prior to leaving the hospital. [Image: see text] DISCLOSURES: All authors: No reported disclosures.