AB1473-HPR Development of pharmaceutical care service within a paediatric rheumatology outpatients clinic

Background The role of the clinical pharmacist within an adult rheumatology multidisciplinary team has long been established 1,2 . In Malta however this service was not extended to cover the paediatric rheumatology out-patient clinic. Objectives The objective of this study was to introduce a pharmaceutical care service and create an ongoing pharmaceutical care model specifically for paediatric patients in order to ensure patient safety, education and seamless care. Methods A pharmaceutical care model rationale which highlights the role of the clinical pharmacist within the clinic was compiled, discussed with the consultant rheumatologist and disseminated to the paediatric clinic nurse. The individualized pharmaceutical care model includes mainly 3 sections. Section A records patient’s details and carer’s details, allergies, other co-morbidities and comments whereby any particular notes such as family history can be listed down. Section B consists of the first clinic date visit and drug history which is updated accordingly to the date of subsequent visits. Section C documents the pharmaceutical care plan. The pharmaceutical care plan categorizes drug therapy problems as actual or potential drug therapy problems, documents the pharmacist’s action, monitoring plans and seamless care requirements. A referral checklist for healthcare professionals wishing to contact the clinical pharmacist to discuss pharmaceutical care issues was developed and reviewed. An individualized patient pharmaceutical care record sheet was compiled to document pharmaceutical care issues identified within the clinic and/or follow up visits or appointments. Results Over a 12 month period between January 2011 and January 2012, the clinical pharmacist attended 6 paediatric clinic sessions. Out of a total of 32 patients seen together with the consultant, 15 required a pharmacist’s intervention. A total of 37 pharmaceutical care issues were identified and resolved with a mean 2.7 care issues per patient. The majority of the drug therapy problems (n=32 out of a total of 37) were classified as actual drug therapy problems whereas 5 were classified as potential drug therapy problems relating to potential adverse drug reactions. Conclusions The extension of pharmaceutical care model to the rheumatology paediatric population helped to further improve the quality care service offered. The individualised pharmaceutical care plan for each patient is an essential tool in providing documentation records for pharmaceutical care issues identified and seamless care. Disclosure of Interest None Declared