Pharmacist-assisted implementation of guideline recommendations for QTc monitoring during psychopharmacotherapy - a prospective, randomized feasibility study.

Introduction: Many psychotropic drugs potentially prolong the QTc interval. The aim of this study was to investigate the feasibility of the pharmacist-supported implementation of a new local guideline for QTc monitoring at a psychiatric department and to gather preliminary data on the effectiveness of this intervention. Methods: The study was conducted as a prospective, randomized-controlled feasibility study at the inpatient service of a department of psychiatry. In the intervention group (IG), guideline-based monitoring of QTc intervals was supported by a clinical pharmacist. The control group (CG) was solely monitored by the treating physicians. The primary effectiveness outcome was the mean change in the QTc interval between admission (T Results: 160 patients were recruited and randomly allocated to the IG ( Discussion: Pharmacist support of the implementation of a new guideline for QTc monitoring led to a higher rate of uptake of guideline recommendations but did not have a significant effect on the QTc interval. The responding physicians and nurses were very satisfied with this intervention. Future research using an adapted study design would be required to assess guideline adherence as the primary outcome and, secondarily, determine the effect of pharmacist support on cardiac outcomes. Clinical trial registration: German Clinical Trials Register: DRKS00033127, https://drks.de/search/de/trial/DRKS00033127.