Volume : 13, Issue : 04, April – 2026
Title:
ROLE OF CLINICAL PHARMACISTS IN THE GENERAL MEDICINE DEPARTMENT COMPREHENSIVE REVIEW STUDY OF DRUG-RELATED PROBLEMS, MEDICATION ERRORS, AND ADVERSE DRUG REACTIONS
Authors :
Aerva Swetha*, Jinipe Rithika, Ramavath Manjula, Dr.P.SomaShekhar
Abstract :
Background: The general medicine department of any hospital is characterized by high patient load, polypharmacy, and multimorbidity. Most hospitals see their internal medicine units packed with patients dealing with multiple health issues and complex medication routines. Without pharmacists regularly on hand, mistakes in prescribing have often slipped through. These oversights sometimes led to harmful side effects or complications during treatment. Patient well-being frequently took a hit as a result. Problems tied to medicines piled up when no expert was watching closely. Outcomes tended to worsen under such conditions.
Objectives: This narrative review aims to evaluate and highlight the evolving role of clinical pharmacists in the general medicine inpatient ward, with emphasis on their impact on DRP identification, medication error prevention, ADR monitoring, and overall patient care optimization, comparing outcomes from the pre-integration era to the current era of active clinical pharmacy practice.
Methodology: A comprehensive literature search was conducted across PubMed,Google Scholar,Cochrane Library
using MeSH terms: “clinical pharmacist,” “general medicine ward,” “drug-related problems,” “medication errors,” “adverse drug reactions,” and “pharmaceutical interventions.” Articles published from 2014 to 2026 were included. Prospective and retrospective observational studies, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, were considered.
Conclusion: Clinical pharmacists are indispensable members of the general medicine multidisciplinary team. Their proactive role in identifying and resolving DRPs, preventing medication errors, and monitoring ADRs directly translates to improved patient safety, reduced hospital stays, and better therapeutic outcomes.
Keywords: Clinical pharmacist, general medicine ward, drug-related problems (DRP), medication errors, adverse drug reactions (ADR), pharmaceutical care, pharmacovigilance, pharmaceutical interventions
Cite This Article:
Please cite this article in press Aerva Swetha et al., role of clinical pharmacists in the general medicine department comprehensive review study of drug-related problems, medication errors, and adverse drug reactions, Indo Am. J. P. Sci, 2026; 13(04).
REFERENCES:
1. Kucukarslan SN, Peters M, Mlynarek M, Nafziger DA. Pharmacists on rounding teams reduce preventable adverse drug events in hospital general medicine units. Arch Intern Med. 2003;163(17):2014-2018. doi:10.1001/archinte.163.17.2014
2. Leape LL, Cullen DJ, Clapp MD, et al. Pharmacist participation on physician rounds and adverse drug events in the intensive care unit. JAMA. 1999;282(3):267-270. doi:10.1001/jama.282.3.267
3. Hisham M, Sivakumar MN, Veerasekar G. Impact of clinical pharmacist in an Indian Intensive Care Unit. Indian J Crit Care Med. 2016;20(2):78-83. doi:10.4103/0972-5229.175931
4. MacLaren R, Bond CA, Martin SJ, Fike D. Clinical and economic outcomes of involving pharmacists in the direct care of critically ill patients with infections. Crit Care Med. 2008;36(12):3184-3189.
5. MacLaren R, Bond CA. Effects of pharmacist participation in intensive care units on clinical and economic outcomes of critically ill patients with thromboembolic or infarction-related events. Pharmacotherapy. 2009;29(7):761-768.
6. De Rijdt T, Willems L, Simoens S. Economic effects of clinical pharmacy interventions: a literature review. Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2008;65(12):1161-1172.
7. Das SK, Priyanka G, Jayanthi G, et al. Identification, classification and management of medication related problems in a tertiary care teaching hospital. Int J Life Sci Pharma Res. 2020;10(3):P43-51. doi:10.22376/ijpbs/lpr.2020.10.3.P43-51
8. Imaura M, Yamaya T, Uehara N, et al. Evaluation of the effects of pharmacist intervention for adverse drug reaction detection and exacerbation avoidance. Yakugaku Zasshi. 2017;137(6):767-774.
9. English S, Hort A, Sullivan N, Shoaib M, Chalmers L. Is ward round participation by clinical pharmacists a valuable use of time and money? A time and motion study. Res Social Adm Pharm. 2020;16(8):1026-1032.
10. Jaam M, Pawluk S. Pharmacist-led educational interventions provided to healthcare providers to reduce medication errors: a systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS ONE. 2021;16(6):e0253588. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0253588
11. Zaal RJ, den Haak EW, Andrinopoulou ER, van Gelder T, Vulto AG, van den Bemt PMLA. Physicians’ acceptance of pharmacists’ interventions in daily hospital practice. Int J Clin Pharm. 2020;42(1):141-149.
12. Delgado-Pérez G, Dávila-Espinoza C, Beltran-Noblega C. Impact of the role of the clinical pharmacist on the underreporting of adverse drug reactions at a Peruvian hospital. Hosp Pharm. 2023;58(3):246-253.
13. Mengato D, et al. Financial impact of medication reviews by clinical pharmacists to reduce in-hospital adverse drug events: a return-on-investment analysis. Int J Clin Pharm. 2024;46(1):54-63. doi:10.1007/s11096-023-01683-w
14. Knez L, et al. Effectiveness of pharmacist-led medication reconciliation on medication errors at hospital discharge and healthcare utilization in the next 30 days: a pragmatic clinical trial. Front Pharmacol. 2024;15:1377781. doi:10.3389/fphar.2024.1377781
15. Berger et al. Clinical-pharmaceutical assessment of medication CDSS alerts: content appropriateness and patient relevance in clinical practice. Front Pharmacol. 2025;16:1510425. doi:10.3389/fphar.2025.1510425
16. Improving adverse drug event reporting by healthcare professionals (Cochrane Review). Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2024. doi:10.1002/14651858
17. Bushra R, Baloch SA, Jabeen A, Bano N, Aslam N. Adverse drug reactions (ADRs): factors and role of pharmacist in their prevention. J Ayub Med Coll Abbottabad. 2015;27(3):702-706.
18. Burke JM, Miller WA, Spencer AP, et al. Clinical pharmacist competencies. Pharmacotherapy. 2008;28(6):806-815.
19. Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE). PCNE Classification for Drug Related Problems V9.1. Available from: www.pcne.org. Accessed 2025.
20. Pharmacovigilance Programme of India (PvPI). Central Drugs Standard Control Organisation (CDSCO), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. Available from: www.pvpi.gov.in. Accessed 2025.




