ICU patients who did not receive medication management from a pharmacist for at least one day of their stay had 20% higher odds of dying in the hospital, according to a University of Georgia-led study published in CHEST.
Here are five things to know:
- The odds ratio for in-hospital death was 1.20, with a confidence interval of 1.03 to 1.40, in the observational analysis. The study also found 10% higher odds of death when a pharmacist was responsible for more than 15 patients and about 1% higher odds for each additional patient.
- Researchers analyzed data from 213 pharmacists across 64 centers in the U.S., Jordan and Saudi Arabia, covering nearly 29,000 patients. Pharmacists recorded their workload and every patient they cared for each day for 100 consecutive days between August 2023 and January 2025. The median ratio was one pharmacist to 17 patients.
- “Critically ill patients experience an average of 1.7 medical errors per day, and nearly 80% of serious errors are caused by medications,” said Susan Smith, PharmD, lead author and associate professor at UGA’s College of Pharmacy. She said the study is the first to show pharmacists are needed in the ICU every day of the year.
- Most hospitals have critical care pharmacists in their ICUs, but about a third do not, according to recent studies, and those that do are often limited to weekdays and day shifts. The researchers said adding pharmacists would likely save money in the long run through shorter stays and less reliance on costly life-sustaining measures.
- The findings come as hospitals report widespread pharmacy workforce strain. ASHP found clinical pharmacy services are growing, but hospitals are struggling to fill key roles. Sterile-compounding technician vacancies affected 92% of hospitals, according to a recent analysis.
