Pharmacy Consult Prompts Medication Adjustments After Bariatric Surgery

Continued prescribing of unadjusted medication classes, doses, and drug formulations for patients after bariatric surgery decreased following clinical pharmacist consultation, according to study findings published online ahead of print in the Journal of Pharmacy Practice. 

“A pharmacy consult for discharge medication review for bariatric surgery patients was instituted at an academic medical center,” wrote researchers from Emory University Hospital Midtown in Atlanta. “The intervention included conducting a medication history, reviewing home medications for updates post-bariatric surgery, creating and documenting a discharge medication plan, and providing patient education.” 

For the study, researchers compared prescribing for 85 patients who received the pharmacist intervention following bariatric surgery and 167 patients from an earlier time who did not receive the intervention. 

The intervention resulted in a 19.3% drop in prescriptions for extended-release medication at discharge. According to the study, 28.7% of patients in the historic control group had a prescription for an extended-release drug at discharge compared with 9.4% of patients in the intervention group. 

The study also found that 94% of patients on hypertension medications in the intervention group had their regimen reduced compared with 37.5% of patients in the control group. Meanwhile, 87.5% of patients on insulin in the intervention group had dose reductions compared with 66.7% of patients in the control group. 

Although 33.3% of patients in the control group were discharged with oral antihyperglycemic medications and 20% with noninsulin injectable medications, no patients in the intervention group were discharged with either oral antihyperglycemic or noninsulin injectable medications, researchers reported.

Reference: 

Van Prooyen AM, Hicks JL, Lin E, et al. Evaluation of An Inpatient Pharmacy Consult on Discharge Medications in Bariatric Surgery Patients [published online ahead of print, 2021 Jul 6]. J Pharm Pract. 2021;8971900211030238. doi:10.1177/08971900211030238