Role of Pharmacists and Nurses to Avoid Physicochemical Drug Interactions to Ensure Patient Safety

Abstract

Healthcare professionals such as nurses and pharmacists play a vital role in patient care. The paper underscores
the roles of nurses and pharmacists in reducing physicochemical drug interaction and improving patient safety
thereby improving the overall healthcare system. A comprehensive literature analysis was done to investigate the
impact of physicochemical drug interactions, the responsibilities of nurses and pharmacists in minimizing these
interactions, and the value of multidisciplinary teamwork. The study also contains therapeutic recommendations
for avoiding drug-drug, drug-food, and drug-nutrient interactions. There has been an increasing rate of medication
error due to the physicochemical interaction of the drugs. The unexpected side effects during patient treatment
are particularly concerning, as they can elevate mortality and morbidity rates while driving up therapeutic costs.
The data show that approximately 50% of pharmaceutical mistakes are caused by physicochemical interactions,
particularly in intravenous dose forms. Nurses and pharmacists can work together to prevent these errors by
checking medication compatibility, continuously monitoring patient reactions, and revising compatibility
recommendations. As a team, pharmacists can examine prescriptions to avoid contraindicated drug combinations,
while nurses, as frontline caretakers, ensure that drugs are administered correctly and the food administered to the
patient does not negatively interact with the medications. Both experts must work together to discover and avoid
physicochemical incompatibilities, which improves patient safety and lowers healthcare costs. This coordinated
approach is critical for reducing prescription mistakes while improving the overall stability and efficacy of
pharmacological formulations in patient care.