Assessing the Effectiveness of Pharmacist-Initiated Strategies on Prescription Errors and Drug-Associated Problems among Geriatric Patients within a Hospital Setting: A Systematic Review

Geriatrics are a special subgroup of patients, usually subjected to multiple medications and inappropriate prescribing, complicated by comorbidities. This research sought to assess the influence of pharmacist-initiated strategies on prescribing errors and other drug-related issues among the elderly in hospitals either as outpatients or hospitalised patients. Prospective interventional studies, that were randomised or otherwise, involving 9016 patients, were included. Only interventional study articles in English published between 2017 and 2022, free text searched from “google scholar” and “PubMed” were part of the study. The risk of bias was examined with the aid of a tool designed from an idea from the CLARITY Group at McMaster University, which was modified and adapted. A sum of 97 articles was identified, 50 on google scholar and 47 on PubMed. After screening, removal of duplicates, disqualification for various reasons and a hand search, 11 articles were eligible. A total of 9016 patients aged at least 60 years, both male and female were involved. Most studies reported a decrease in DRPs and ADRs and improved QoL following pharmacist interventions. However, drug-associated hospitalisation was not affected by the interventions. The acceptance rate was high (median = 80%). Pharmacist interventions impact the quality of prescribing and reduce DRPs and ADR but have no impact on hospital admissions.