Increasing drug therapy safety in psychiatry: implementing a pharmacist on the ward

Introduction: The number of patients treated with more than three drugs is increasing over the last decades in psychiatry. The number of drugs that a patient takes increases the risk for clinically relevant drug interactions, which are associated with high costs in case of an adverse drug event. Aims: Pharmacists on the psychiatric ward could increase the drug therapy safety. How can a pharmacist become integrated into the daily work on the wards and which services are accepted and used by physicians if offered? Methods: The Eichberger Model was developed and started in August 2011. Experiences are described as well as the success of this implementation after 9 month. Results : Implementation of a pharmacist on a psychiatric ward was successful. After only 9 months, many new pharmaceutical care services were introduced in a stepwise manner. The services were used by all physicians of the clinic and the acceptance of these new services was within the expected time frame of 9 months. Barriers for a pharmacist on the ward are mainly financial. But also fear of physicians to share responsibility with a pharmacist and accept constructive criticism of a pharmacist can play a role. Conclusion: A pharmacist on the ward helps to avoid drug interactions and increases drug therapy safety without creating a financial burden for the clinic. To have a new job position for a pharmacist on the ward barriers need to be overcome by showing results of clinical trials and experiences like ours in the Eichberger Model.