ABSTRACT

Health technology assessment (HTA) is the systematic evaluation of properties, effects and/or impacts
of health technologies and interventions. It covers both the direct, intended consequences of
technologies and interventions and their indirect, unintended consequences. A health technology is
the application of organized knowledge and skills in the form of devices, medicines, vaccines,
procedures and systems developed to solve a health problem and improve quality of lives. Drug
Related Problems could result in the medication errors, adverse events, drug interactions and harm
to patients. AIM: The main aim of the study was to assess and evaluate the Clinical Pharmacist’s
interventions in health care i.e., Health technology assessment and its application to improve and
optimize patient care through pharmaceutical care and to achieve accuracy in patient treatment.
METHODS: A prospective, observational and interventional study. Ethical approval was obtained
before starting the present study. The inpatient medication charts and orders drug related problems
were identified, analysed and rectified by ward and practicing clinical pharmacists within the
inpatient pharmacy services, using the parameters: dose, rate of administration, presentation and/or
dosage form, presence of inappropriate/unnecessary drugs, necessity of additional medication, more
proper alternative therapies, presence of relevant drug interactions, inconsistencies in prescription
orders, physical-chemical incompatibilities/solution stability. From this evaluation, the drug therapy
problems were classified, resulting clinical interventions made. RESULTS: out of 360 clinical
pharmacist interventions followed, male (71.66%) predominance was noted over females (28.33%).
Most of the DRP observed were dispensing errors(26.11%),improper drug selection
(17.22%),followed by untreated indications (14.4%) Majority of the clinical pharmacist
recommendations were on need for proper dispensing(26.11%), and drug change (18.05%). The
acceptance rate of intervening clinical pharmacist recommendation and change in drug therapy was
found to be high (86.66%). Clinical pharmacists have greater potential in preventing and/or
minimizing the DRPs. CONCLUSION: Technology assessment in health care is a multidisciplinary
field of policy analysis which studies ethical, social, medical and economic implications of
development, diffusion and use of health technology. From the multidisciplinary health technology
assessment the methods followed for this study were found to be useful for not only enhancing the
appropriate use of drugs in a clinical setting but also sow a seed for the evolvement of Health
Technology Assessment in India with clinical pharmacist as its pathfinder.
Key words: Health technology assessment, Drug related problems, Clinical Pharmacist, Clinical
Pharmacist interventions, health care interventions.