{
  "abstract": "Background and Aim Patient complexity, high workload and limited resources necessitate the use of prioritisation tools to ensure pharmacists can allocate their time effectively. 1 Research on development, implementation, validation, and impact of pharmacist prioritisation tools (i.e. tools designed to help pharmacists identify which patients should be prioritised for clinical review) in paediatrics is scarce. This systematic review aimed to identify such tools, assess their characteristics, and explore barriers to implementation.Methods MEDLINE, Embase, and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (IPA) were searched without language or date restrictions. All study types were included, investigating prioritisation tools for clinical pharmacists in paediatrics (≤18 years), including conference abstracts. Studies focusing on adults or not involving pharmacist prioritisation tools were excluded. Risk of bias was assessed using either the Delphi Critical Appraisal Tool (DCAT) or the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), as appropriate to the study design.Findings Of 91 papers identified, only three full-text articles met the criteria (four conference abstracts were also included). 2–4 Most tools were in testing phases and varied in format. Group consensus was the most common development method, involving pharmacy staff. None involved patients, carers, doctors or nurses. Only one study assessed and reported significant associations between prioritisation scores and clinical outcomes.3 Several tools reduced the need for manual chart review, avoided duplicative reviews, or supported identification of patients requiring pharmacist review. Most projects saw integration of tools into electronic prescribing systems as the way forward to enable workflows to be seen in real time. Overall, tools lacked formal validation and external generalisability, and few were implemented in routine practice.Conclusion Few pharmacist prioritisation tools for paediatrics exist, and most remain in testing stages. However, they show potential to improve workflow and support timely, targeted pharmacist interventions. The identified tools were heterogeneous in tool type, design, outcomes and validation approaches. Tools integrated with electronic health systems – especially those that allow real-time score updates – appear to be particularly promising for streamlining workflow and enabling timely pharmacist interventions. Future research should focus on validation, multidisciplinary development, and patient-specific factors to enhance clinical relevance.References Alshakrah MA, Steinke DT, Lewis PJ. Patient prioritization for pharmaceutical care in hospital: a systematic review of assessment tools. Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy 2019;15(6):767–779.Brax AD, Sapko MM, Cole JW, Landgrave LC, Magers JK, Pierson SM. Implementation of an electronic pharmacy scoring tool to prioritize clinical pharmacists’ daily workflow at a pediatric institution. American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy 2023;80(2):68–74.Kandaswamy S, Dawson TE, Moore WH, et al. Pharmacist metrics in the pediatric intensive care unit: an exploration of the medication regimen complexity-intensive care unit (MRC-ICU) score. Journal of Pediatric Pharmacology and Therapeutics 2023;28(8):728–734.Spencer M, Turner S, Garg A. Development of a pharmacy ‘patient prioritization tool’ for use in a Tertiary Paediatric Hospital. Journal of Clinical Pharmacy and Therapeutics 2021;46(2):388–394.",
  "authors": [
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Great Ormond Street Hospital, UK"
      ],
      "name": "Stephen Tomlin"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "School of Pharmacy, University College London (UCL), UK"
      ],
      "name": "Sara Garfield"
    },
    {
      "affiliations": [
        "Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, KU Leuven, Belgium"
      ],
      "name": "Elena Van Nederkasselac"
    }
  ],
  "title": "P38 Pharmacist prioritisation tools for paediatric patients – a systematic review",
  "uid": "be2b6ab6-9d1f-5a25-b019-7e3d5b702661"
}