Inpatient Pharmacist Intervention Helps Sustain Improved Rates of Baseline Metabolic Monitoring for Patients Initiated on Atypical Antipsychotics

Abstract

Specific Aims: The purpose of this study is to assess whether baseline rates of metabolic monitoring of scheduled atypical antipsychotics are sustained as a result of a pharmacist intervention. Methods: This study was a retrospective chart review assessing rates of metabolic monitoring two months after a pharmacist intervention that utilized a pharmacist-physician metabolic monitoring recommendation form was discontinued. Patients ages 18 years or older with orders for a scheduled atypical antipsychotic were included. Patients with orders for first-generation antipsychotics or who have orders for as needed atypical antipsychotics were excluded. Main Results: Data from the two month post intervention period was compared to those obtained during the pharmacist intervention. For the monitoring of hemoglobin A1c and fasting lipid panels, which improved during the pharmacist intervention, there was a non-statistically significant trend towards decreased monitoring. For hemoglobin A1c, the rates of monitoring decreased from 21.59% to 12.32% (p = 0.09). For fasting lipid panels, monitoring decreased from 39.77% to 28.99% (p = 0.125). Conclusion: A pharmacist intervention utilizing a recommendation form was effective in sustaining the improvement of baseline metabolic monitoring of personal history of diabetes and cardiovascular disease and monitoring of hemoglobin A1c and lipid panels. However, a trend towards decreased monitoring was observed in both the percentage of hemoglobin A1c and lipid panels ordered. Thus, continuing pharmacist intervention may be necessary in order to ensure that baseline metabolic monitoring for atypical antipsychotics occurs.