title: Effect of critical care pharmacist's intervention on medication errors: A systematic review and meta-analysis of observational studies.
abstract: Pharmacists are integral members of the multidisciplinary team for critically ill patients. Multiple nonrandomized controlled studies have evaluated the outcomes of pharmacist interventions in the intensive care unit (ICU). This systematic review focuses on controlled clinical trials evaluating the effect of pharmacist intervention on medication errors (MEs) in ICU settings. Two independent reviewers searched Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases. The inclusion criteria were nonrandomized controlled studies that evaluated the effect of pharmacist services vs no intervention on ME rates in ICU settings. Four studies were included in the meta-analysis. Results suggest that pharmacist intervention has no significant contribution to reducing general MEs, although pharmacist intervention may significantly reduce preventable adverse drug events and prescribing errors. This meta-analysis highlights the need for high-quality studies to examine the effect of the critical care pharmacist.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: tiansheng@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Tiansheng
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, University of Pittsburgh School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Pittsburgh, PA, USA. Electronic address: benedictnj@upmc.edu.
authors.forename: Neal
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Benedict
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Practice, College of Pharmacy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE, USA. Electronic address: kolsen@unmc.edu.
authors.forename: Keith M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China; Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: luanrong1989@163.com.
authors.forename: Rong
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Luan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: xizhuccm@163.com.
authors.forename: Xi
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhu
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: keaidehaizimen@yeah.net.
authors.forename: Ningning
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: hltang1985@163.com.
authors.forename: Huilin
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy, Peking University Third Hospital, Beijing, China. Electronic address: yanyingying89@163.com.
authors.forename: Yingying
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Yan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: pkulennoxyao@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Yao
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Peng
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacy Administration and Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Beijing, China. Electronic address: shilu@bjmu.edu.cn.
authors.forename: Luwen
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Shi
mesh_terms: D018849:Controlled Clinical Trials as Topic; D003422:Critical Care; D016638:Critical Illness / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D007362:Intensive Care Units; D008508:Medication Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D064887:Observational Studies as Topic; D010595:Pharmacists; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'
keywords: Critical care; Intensive care unit; Medication error; Meta-analysis; Pharmaceutical care; Pharmacist intervention