Clinical pharmacist interventions in infectious disease service: Types, acceptance, and cost savings analysis using a customized electronic intervention system

Abstract

Background: Having a dedicated clinical pharmacist (CP) is essential for enhancing antimicrobial use and therapy. This study aimed to evaluate the types of interventions by CPs in infectious disease (ID) cases, focusing on intervention type and cost savings while utilizing and customizing an electronic reporting system. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted on CP interventions in ID service at a tertiary care hospital. The primary objective was to categorize the types of CP interventions used in ID services. Secondary objectives included evaluating the physician acceptance rate and estimating the cost savings achieved through the electronic intervention system. Results: A total of 464 interventions were performed on 187 patients under the ID consultation service. CPs documented various types of interventions, with the most common being pharmacokinetics (PK) dosing/monitoring (25.9%) and renal dosing (20.7%). These interventions resulted in an estimated cost savings of approximately 234,666 Saudi Riyals (SAR), equivalent to 62,577.60 United States dollars (USD). Conclusions: Our study confirmed that CP involvement in ID services contributed to cost savings and shortened the length of hospital stay.