The Role and Impact of Transplant Pharmacist Evaluation in a Pre-Kidney Transplant Clinic
Pharmacy Practice and Transplant Surgery, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
Meeting: 2020 American Transplant Congress
Abstract number: C-227
Keywords: Kidney, Kidney transplantation, Patient education
Session Information
Session Name: Poster Session C: Quality Assurance Process Improvement & Regulatory Issues
Session Type: Poster Session
Date: Saturday, May 30, 2020
Session Time: 3:15pm-4:00pm
Presentation Time: 3:30pm-4:00pm
Location: Virtual
*Purpose: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services’ interpretative guidelines for conditions of participation for transplant centers define the transplant pharmacist’s role ambiguously. Limited evidence exists regarding the impact of transplant pharmacists in the evaluation of kidney transplant recipients in the pre-transplant setting. This study aims to describe the role and determine the impact of transplant pharmacist evaluation in the kidney recipient population.
*Methods: This was a retrospective study of all kidney transplants performed between January 01, 2008 and September 30, 2018 at an urban medical center where transplant pharmacist joined the pre-transplant evaluation process in 2008. The primary outcome was to describe identified adherence and medication related issues. Adherence related issues were identified using patient self-reported adherence and interviewer-identified issues. Medication related issues were categorized into themes. Secondary outcomes include patient and graft survival rates. Patients were stratified as to whether a transplant pharmacist evaluation identified at risk adherence or medication problems versus no issues.
*Results: Out of 1,318 kidney transplant recipients, 318 patients have been analyzed. There were 232 (72.9%) patients in the PharmD evaluation cohort. In this group, 39 (16.8%) patients were identified to have adherence issues and 75 (32.3%) patients were identified to have medication related issues. The most common medication related issue was linked to anticoagulation/antiplatelet therapy [n=23 (9.9%)]. The median number of medications was 7 (IQR 6.0). In addition, 78 (33.8%) patients reported history of opioid use. The baseline demographic and clinical characteristics between the two comparison cohorts were similar (Table 2). There were no significant differences in 1 and 3-year graft survival rate as well as 1 and 3-year patient survival rate in both cohorts
*Conclusions: Transplant pharmacists perform comprehensive pre-kidney transplant evaluation and are well positioned to identify and mitigate adherence and medication related issues.
To cite this abstract in AMA style:
Valdepenas B, Choi D, Benken J, Campara M. The Role and Impact of Transplant Pharmacist Evaluation in a Pre-Kidney Transplant Clinic [abstract]. Am J Transplant. 2020; 20 (suppl 3). https://atcmeetingabstracts.com/abstract/the-role-and-impact-of-transplant-pharmacist-evaluation-in-a-pre-kidney-transplant-clinic/. Accessed May 16, 2025.« Back to 2020 American Transplant Congress