[Steps aimed at upgrading a pharmaceutical care sector: the case of surgery]

Background: While the concept of clinical pharmacy was developed in the 1960s, clinical programs are characterized by their great variety and disparity when it comes to the presence of pharmacists in healthcare sectors.

Purpose: This article aims to describe a method in which pharmaceutical care sectors in healthcare facilities can be upgraded.

Methods: This is a descriptive study supporting the upgrade of pharmaceutical care practiced in the surgery sector of a 500-bed mother-child university hospital center, the CHU Sainte-Justine. The pharmacy department employs more than 70 healthcare professionals. The study involved these proposed upgrading steps: firstly, a review of the literature; secondly, a description of the profile of the sector; thirdly, a description of the upgrading of pharmacist practice in surgery.

Results: A total of 137 articles were compiled, seven of which were selected to evaluate the impact and eight a description of the pharmacist's role in surgery. The authors did not identify any particular pharmaceutical activity based on very good quality data (A). However, there were five based on good quality data (B) and seven that lacked adequate proof (C, D) in relation to the practice of surgery. Nevertheless, a number of other authors described the development of the pharmacist's clinical role in surgery.

Conclusion: There are few data on the impact of pharmacists in surgery. This descriptive study proposes a number of steps aimed at upgrading pharmaceutical care within a Quebec university hospital center.