title: Including pharmacists on consultant-led ward rounds: a prospective non-randomised controlled trial.
abstract: This study aimed to compare interventions made by pharmacists attending consultant-led ward rounds in addition to providing a ward pharmacy service, with those made by pharmacists providing a word pharmacy service alone. A prospective non-randomised controlled study on five inpatient medical wards was carried out at two teaching hospitals. A mean of 1.73 physician-accepted interventions were made per patient for the study group, compared to 0.89 for the control (Mann Whitney U, p < 0.001) with no difference between groups in the nature or clinical importance of the interventions. One physician-accepted intervention was made every eight minutes during the consultant-led ward rounds, compared to one every 63 minutes during a ward pharmacist visit. Pharmacists attending consultant-led ward rounds in addition to undertaking a ward pharmacist visit make significantly more interventions per patient than those made by pharmacists undertaking a ward pharmacist visit alone, rectifying prescribing errors and optimising treatment.
authors.affiliation: Pharmacy Department, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London. gavin.miller@imperial.nhs.uk
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: Bryony Dean
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Franklin
authors.forename: Ann
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jacklin
mesh_terms: D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010362:Patients' Rooms; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D024382:Professional Role; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012017:Referral and Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration*; D056164:Teaching Rounds / Q000458:organization & administration*