Pediatric anesthesia & critical care
ICU Patient-to-Pharmacist Ratios: A Prospective, Multicenter Time-Motion Study
Authors' conclusion
Critical care pharmacist practice models across healthcare institutions are inconsistent regarding patient assignments and time allocated toward direct and indirect patient care activities.
Study context
- Population
- ICU clinical pharmacists (adult ICU, PICU or neonatal ICU)703 observation days
- Participants
- 128 participants
- Outcome
- Relationship among ICU patient-to-pharmacist ratio, perceived quality of patient care and pharmacist burnout
Methodological detailsmulticentre, 10-month period (May 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023)
- Multicentre
- 10-month period (May 1, 2022, to February 28, 2023)
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Burnout and perceived quality of care vs patient load
- Overall frequency of pharmacist burnout
- 38.1%
- Burnout per incremental increase in assigned total patients, OR
- 1.03 (95% CI 1.01-1.05)
- Burnout per incremental increase in overtime worked, OR
- 1.18 (95% CI 1.03-1.35)
- Assigned ICU patients, higher vs lower perceived quality of care (mean ± SD), p < 0.001
- 17.0 ± 7.4 vs. 30.6 ± 23.8
- Additional direct care time per patient predictive of high quality of care perception, OR
- 1.53 (95% CI 1.03-2.05)
- Burnout inversely associated with high quality of care, OR
- 0.59 (95% CI 0.36-0.96)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Pharmacist time and workload per shift
- Direct patient care time, hours per shift (mean ± SD)
- 5.9 ± 1.9
- Indirect patient care time, hours per shift (mean ± SD)
- 3.3 ± 1.7
- Assigned ICU patients per shift (mean ± SD)
- 19.3 ± 12.9
- Assigned overall (ICU and non-ICU) patients per shift (mean ± SD)
- 23.4 ± 17.9
Original publication
ICU Patient-to-Pharmacist Ratios: A Prospective, Multicenter Time-Motion Study. Crit Care Med. Published 26 February 2025. doi:10.
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