Use of antimicrobials in pediatric wards of five Brazilian hospitals.

The use of antimicrobials (AMs) in pediatric infections is common practice and use may be inappropriate leading to antimicrobial resistance. Off-label AM use is also common in this group and can result in drug-related problems. There is lack of DUR data in Brazil and in Latin America, specially for AM pediatric use. The aim of this study was to describe the utilization of AMs in hospitalized children in five hospitals in Brazil. We conducted an observational study of the utilization of AMs in pediatric wards in hospitals in the states of Ceará (CE), Sergipe (SE), Rio de Janeiro (RJ), Rio Grande do Sul (RS) and the Federal District (DF). Data derived from patient medical records and prescriptions were collected over a six-month period in each hospital. The number of AMs used by each patient was recorded, and AM use was assessed using Days of therapy (DOT) and Length of therapy (LOT) per 1000 patient days according to different patient characteristics. Off-label (OL) use was described according to age. The study analyzed data from 1020 patients. The sex and age distributions were similar across the five hospitals. However, differences were found for comorbidities, history of ICU admission and length of hospital stay. The most common diseases were respiratory tract infections. There were wide variations in DOT/1000PD (278-517) and LOT/1000PD (265-390). AM utilization was highest in the hospital in SE. The consumption of second-generation penicillins and cephalosporins was high. The prevalence of OL use of AMs was higher for patients in the RJ hospital, in infants, in patients who underwent prolonged hospital stays, and in patients who used multiple AMs. The AM that showed the highest prevalence of OL use was azithromycin, in both oral and parenteral formulations. Overall AM use was high and showed differences in each setting, possibly influenced by local characteristics and by prescribing standards adopted by pediatricians.

Quality indicators of hospitalized children influenced by clinical pharmacist services: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Care for children who are hospitalized can be optimized if the pharmacist, in conjunction with the multidisciplinary team, promotes the rational use of medicines. In this sense, the evaluation of the quality of these clinical services through indicators is important in the planning, decision making of pharmacists and managers of these services. OBJECTIVE: To characterize which health indicators were influenced by the pharmaceutical clinical services for the care of children in hospitals. METHODS: A systematic review was performed. The search for data was made on the bases: Cochrane, Embase, Lilacs, Pubmed and Web of Science. Then, the search included studies in which evaluated the impact of pharmaceutical clinical services on clinical, economic and humanistic outcomes. RESULTS: The search resulted in 11 included studies. In this review, four pharmaceutical clinical services were found: pharmacotherapy review, multiprofessional team interventions, antimicrobial stewardship program and pharmaceutical services at discharge hospital. The most influenced outcome indicators were length of hospital stay, with average time in the group that received the pharmacotherapy review service, and interventions multiprofessional team with a 6.45-day vs. 10.83 days in the control group; hospital readmissions with a significant reduction of non-scheduled readmission of 30 days in the ntimicrobial stewardship program; reduction of hospital costs and caregiver satisfaction. CONCLUSION: In this study, we can highlight that pharmacotherapy review, multiprofessional team interventions and Antimicrobial Stewardship Program that significantly reduced the clinical results of length of hospital stay and hospital readmission, as well as a significant reduction of hospital costs.

Methods for the detection of adverse drug reactions in hospitalized children: a systematic review.

Introduction: Adverse drug reactions (ADR) are a problem for healthcare systems worldwide. Pediatric patients constitute a vulnerable group with regard to ADRs. However, although pediatric patients are at increased risk for these reactions, there is little progress on ADR detection methods in this group.Areas covered: In this systematic search, performed according to PRISMA statements, we selected studies, published in PubMed/Medline databases; Scopus; LILACS; Web of Science; Embase and Cochrane Library until April, 2020, on ADRs in hospitalized pediatric patients.Expert opinion: The increase of pediatric drug safety data is essential to the improvement of childcare. Health services must continuously stimulate educational programs focused on ADR detection tools to minimize the barriers and raise awareness among professionals. Therefore, it is necessary to consider that each method has advantages and disadvantages and must be analyzed in detail to be implemented according to the peculiarities of each practice scenario. Triggers tools (active method) correlated with electronic medical notes seems a good strategy for ADR identification, whether pediatric parameters are well checked and adapted with each age group. In any event, combined methods will add data to identification and clearer ADR assessment.

Causality and avoidability of adverse drug reactions of antibiotics in hospitalized children: a cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Adverse drug reactions are a problem in healthcare systems worldwide. Children are more susceptible than adults, especially when exposed to specific drug classes, such as antibiotics. OBJECTIVE: To assess the incidence, causality, severity, and avoidability of antibiotic-associated adverse drug reactions in hospitalized pediatric patients. SETTING: Pediatric ward of a high-complexity public hospital in northeast Brazil. METHODS: A prospective cohort study was conducted over six months, including children aged between 28 days and 12 years, hospitalized for more than 48 h, and receiving antibiotics. Liverpool's causality and avoidability assessment tools were used. Primary outcome measures: Incidence of adverse drug reactions, causality, severity, and avoidability, major antibiotics implicated, risk factors. RESULTS: A total of 183 patients were followed, and 35 suspected adverse drug reactions were recorded overall incidence equal to 14.7%. Most adverse drug reactions were classified as moderate severity (76.7%), probable (57.1%) and defined (28.6%) causality, and unavoidable (66.7%). The affected organs were the gastrointestinal system (74.1%) and skin (25.9%). Major antibiotics implicated were ceftriaxone (40.7%), azithromycin (25.9%), and crystalline penicillin (11.1%). The number of antibiotics prescribed per patient during hospitalization and the length of stay were the risk factors identified. CONCLUSION: Causality and severity assessment indicated that most adverse drug reactions were probable and moderate. Possibly avoidable reactions occurred due to inappropriate prescribing when preventive measures were not implemented. Monitoring the use of antibiotics in children is essential to ensure the safety of these patients.

Integration of clinical pharmacy services into the Brazilian health system using Problematization with Maguerez Arc.

BACKGROUND: Clinical pharmacy services (CPS) have been evolving worldwide. However, it is estimated that CPS are not yet integrated into the Brazilian healthcare system. Thus, the objective of this study is to identify factors that influence the integration of CPS into the healthcare system and propose strategies for this integration. METHODS: A methodological development study was conducted from August 2016 to September 2017. Thus, interviews were conducted with key informants to identify barriers, facilitators, and strategies for CPS integration. Then these collected data were organized and confronted with the literature. Finally, a nominal group defined strategies for the integration of CPS into the Brazilian healthcare system. RESULTS: Interviews were conducted with five managers and seven decision-makers who listed 19 barriers and 20 facilitators. From these results, the nominal group proposed 41 integration strategies and prioritized five: formalize CPS; agree on care flows and referral protocols; evaluate and publicize CPS results/benefits; plan and define CPS; sensitize the health managers CONCLUSION: This study identified factors that influence the integration of CPS into the Brazilian health system and proposed strategies to achieve this integration. These results may contribute to future health decision-making processes.

Perceived barriers to the implementation of clinical pharmacy services in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil.

BACKGROUND: CLinical pharmacy services (CPS) are professional services provided by pharmacists, who use their skills and knowledge to take an active role in patient health. These services have expanded in health systems around the world. However, it is important to have a comprehensive understanding of factors that may hinder the implementation of CPS in health systems. OBJECTIVE: To identify pharmacists' and managers' perceptions of barriers regarding the implementation of CPS in some public health units in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil. METHODS: This is a qualitative study based on focus groups and semi-structured, face-to-face, in-depth interviews. Participants were health-system pharmacists and managers, selected based on their direct participation in the implementation process. Focus groups were carried out with the pharmacists, and interviews were carried out with managers. The audio and videos were transcribed verbatim in full, and were independently analyzed using content analysis. This study was approved by the Brazilian Committee of Ethics in Research and all participants signed informed consent forms. FINDINGS: There were two focus groups and five interviews. The discussions generated 240 minutes of recordings. The health-system pharmacists and managers expressed barriers were allocated into five categories to facilitate a comprehensive understanding of the implementation of CPS; these barriers were related to: the local healthcare networks, the healthcare team, the pharmacists, the implementation process, and the patients. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the perceptions of barriers associated with the participants involved in the implementation of CPS in some public health units in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil. The barriers reflect the challenges to be overcome in the CPS implementation process in the health systems.

Facilitators and strategies to implement clinical pharmacy services in a metropolis in Northeast Brazil: a qualitative approach.

BACKGROUND: Clinical Pharmacy Services (CPS) are a reality in many health systems around the world. However, there are few studies that discuss the facilitators and the strategies to implement CPS in healthcare systems. In this way, the objective of this study was to identify the facilitators and strategies involved in the CPS implementation process in some public health units in a metropolis in the Northeast Brazil. METHODS: A qualitative study was carried out with health-system pharmacists and managers who experienced the implementation of CPS. Therefore, focus groups were conducted with pharmacists, and the interviews with the managers. The discussions were carried out through semi-structured scripts and were recorded in audio and videos, after the signature of the consent form. The recordings were transcribed and analyzed independently through content analysis, followed by consensus meetings between researchers. RESULTS: Two focus groups were conducted, with an average of seven pharmacists per group, and five interviews with local health managers. Participants reported 39 facilitators who were related to the categories: local healthcare network, healthcare team, pharmacists and implementation process of the CPS. And 21 strategies attributed to the following categories: local healthcare network, pharmacists and implementation process of the CPS. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified facilitators and strategies of the implementation of CPS. Most of the positive experiences were related to the clinical skills and proactive attitudes of pharmacists. These findings may support pharmacists and health managers to implement CPS in health systems.