Analysis of Hospital Pharmacists’ Interventions in a Covid -19 Isolation Centre of a Tertiary Hospital in Ghana

Abstract

Coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) is a global pandemic that was first identified in the city of Wuhan, China, and declared On January 30, 2020, by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a Public Health Emergency of International Concern. In Ghana, the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital became one of the designated sites for the management of Covid-19 patients, and the pharmacists were part of the task force. This study aims to analyze hospital pharmacists’ interventions in a Covid 19 isolation center and to identify the evidence that supports the effect of such interventions. This was a retrospective study carried out by collecting and collating the interventions and recommendations made by the hospital pharmacists who worked at the isolation center from May 2020 to August 2020 at the peak of the pandemic. A total of 145 pharmacists’ interventions (PIs) were captured from the medication reviews of 53 patients: resulting in an average PI rate of 3 interventions per patient. Women accounted for 58.5% (31/53) of positivity in the study. The mean (SD) for age was 47.1(17.9). Physicians’ acceptance rate of PIs for Covid-19-positive patients was 95.2% (138/145). The most prevalent type of PIs was discharge counseling; 32.4 % (47/145), followed by untreated indication 10.3% (15/145), drug /dose omission 9% (13/145), and drug shortage/refill 9% (13/145) respectively. This study highlights the clinical relevance of pharmacists’ interventions in the Covid-19 era and the importance of teamwork to prevent medication errors.