Assessment of pharmaceutical interventions in an intensive care unit of a teaching hospital in Paraíba and development of a classification instrument

Abstract

Objective: To assess the profile of pharmaceutical interventions performed in an Adult Intensive Care Unit and propose a new classification instrument. Methods: This was a cross-sectional, quantitative, descriptive, and retrospective study using secondary data from pharmaceutical interventions obtained from a Clinical Pharmacy and Dispensation Unit at a Teaching Hospital in Paraíba. The study sample comprised the entire population of interventions carried out in the Adult ICU in the year 2022, recorded comprehensively in electronic spreadsheets, without distinction of gender, age, or specific diseases. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics through Microsoft Excel 2021. Results: A total of 429 pharmaceutical interventions were recorded during the study, with a focus on medication withdrawal (n=122, 28.4%) and dose adjustment (n=89, 20.7%). The acceptability of these interventions was (n=405, 94%). Failures were identified in the current classification system, leading to the proposal of a new instrument based on literature and hospital needs, providing classification for medication-related issues and pharmaceutical interventions into four categories, described, coded, and correlated. Conclusion: Given the shortcomings identified in the current classification system, the creation of a new classification instrument was deemed necessary.