Impact of clinical pharmacist on cost of drug therapy in the ICU

ObjectiveTo determine whether the presence of Clinical Pharmacist affects the cost of drug therapy for patients admitted to the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Al-Hussein hospital at Royal Medical Services in Amman, Jordan.MethodThis study compares the consumed quantities of drugs over two periods of time. Each period was ten months long. In the second period there was a Clinical Pharmacist. The decrease in consumption rate of drugs is considered to be an indicator of the success of Clinical Pharmacist in the ICU, as any decrease in consumption rate reflects the correct application of Clinical Pharmacy practices. The cost of this decrease in consumption rate represents the total reduction of drug therapy cost.ResultsThe total reduction of drug therapy cost after applying Clinical Pharmacy practices in the ICU over a period of ten months was 149946.80 JD (211574.90 USD), which represents an average saving of 35.8% when compared to the first period in this study.ConclusionThe results of this study showed a significant reduction in the consumed quantities of drugs and therefore a reduction in cost of drug therapy. Such findings highlight the importance of the presence of Clinical Pharmacist in all Jordanian hospitals wards and units.