Pharmaceutical services in an HIV clinic

Abstract

Pharmaceutical-related interventions in a pharmacist-directed human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) clinic were characterized. Intervention types, clinical significance, and expected outcomes were adapted from the literature. Pharmacists' interventions were recorded on a spreadsheet, and two pharmacists came into agreement to ensure the consistency of categorization. Intervention types, clinical significance, expected outcomes, and types of therapy precipitating interventions were summarized. The number of patients seen was totaled, and the number of interventions per patient per visit was calculated. The average number of medications and CD4+ lymphocyte counts throughout the study were obtained through the Veterans Affairs Medical Center computer patient record system. A total of 70 patients received pharmaceutical services during the four-year period. Each patient received an average of seven medications and two interventions. The most common interventions were medication counseling (39%), recommendations of monitoring parameters (17%), and prescription processing (9%). The majority of interventions were clinically significant (89%) and enhanced treatment efficacy (62%). The percentage of antiretroviral therapy-related and HIV-related interventions fluctuated over the study period, while the percentage of non-HIV-related interventions increased. Pharmacists' interventions and direct patient care at an HIV clinic effectively ensured patient adherence to treatment and provided clinical benefits for patients.