A cost-benefit analysis of hospital-wide medication reviews: a period prevalence study

Background For specific medical specialties it has been shown that clinical pharmacists can have a beneficial effect on the reduction of drug-related problems by performing medication reviews. However, little is known on the cost–benefit ratio of hospital-wide implementation of medication reviews. Aim To investigate the effect of conducting hospital-wide medication reviews on the detection and resolution of drug-related problems, and to calculate the cost–benefit ratio of the intervention. Method In this observational prospective period prevalence study, medication reviews were conducted during five consecutive working days in a Dutch university hospital. Patients admitted for more than 24 h were included. The cost–benefit ratio of conducting the medication reviews was calculated by dividing the total costs by the total savings. Results In 622 medication reviews, 709 potential drug-related problems (1.1 per patient) were detected. T