AccScience Publishing / EJMO / Online First / DOI: 10.36922/EJMO025150116
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REVIEW ARTICLE

Critical care pharmacists in intensive care units: A meta-analysis of their impact on mortality and adverse drug events

Mohamed S. Imam1* ,  Khalid Nassir Almurayeh2 ,  Abdulrahman Saeed M. Okshah2 ,  Fawaz Saad Yahya Thabit2 ,  Amal Ali Al Thabet2 ,  Abdullah Abduh Ali Hijazy2 ,  Shahad Abdullah Ali Alahmari2 ,  Faisal Saeed Mohammed Hatab2 ,  Sadeem Nawaf A. Alotaibi3 ,  Ruba Hamoud Mohammed Alshahrani3 ,  Ranaa Abdullah Saleh Alamri4
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1 Department of Clinical Pharmacy, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt
2 College of Pharmacy, King Khalid University, Abha, Asir, Saudi Arabia
3 College of Pharmacy, Taif University, Taif, Mecca, Saudi Arabia
4 College of Pharmacy, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
EJMO, 025150116 https://doi.org/10.36922/EJMO025150116
Received: 13 April 2025 | Revised: 26 June 2025 | Accepted: 3 July 2025 | Published online: 4 August 2025
© 2025 by the Author(s). This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution -Noncommercial 4.0 International License (CC-by the license) ( https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/ )
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Abstract

Critical care pharmacists (CCPs) are increasingly integrated into intensive care unit (ICU) teams to enhance medication safety and improve outcomes. However, their effect on mortality and adverse drug events (ADEs) remains inadequately studied. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of CCP involvement in ICU care on patient mortality and ADEs. A comprehensive systematic review and meta-analysis were performed, encompassing studies published through January 2025. The literature search was conducted in multiple databases, such as PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library. A total of 16 eligible studies were identified, collectively involving 37,925 ICU patients. To evaluate outcomes, odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated utilizing either fixed-effects or random-effects models, depending on heterogeneity levels. Patients in ICUs with CCPs experienced significantly reduced mortality (OR: 0.72; 95% CI: 0.56 – 0.92; p=0.01) and fewer ADEs (OR: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.21 – 0.70; p=0.002) compared to controls. Despite notable heterogeneity, findings were consistent in sensitivity analyses. No significant publication bias was detected. The inclusion of CCPs in ICU teams is associated with lower mortality and fewer ADEs. These findings support expanding the role of pharmacists in critical care settings.

Keywords
Critical care pharmacists
Pharmacotherapy
Intensive care unit
Adverse drug events
Mortality
Interdisciplinary care
Funding
None.
Conflict of interest
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
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Eurasian Journal of Medicine and Oncology, Electronic ISSN: 2587-196X Print ISSN: 2587-2400, Published by AccScience Publishing
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