The role of clinical pharmacist in the infectious diseases department: Bridging the gap between antimicrobial resistances and optimized patient health outcomes
El papel del farmacéutico clínico en el departamento de enfermedades infecciosas: cerrar la brecha entre la resistencia a los antimicrobianos y optimizar los resultados de salud del paciente
Saadoun O. Elmezughi, Khaled Abdelmaula, Fathi M. Sherif
Abstract
Antimicrobial resistance is a major global health challenge, leading to adverse clinical outcomes, increased healthcare costs, and diminished efficacy of antimicrobials. Clinical pharmacists, with advanced pharmacotherapy expertise and direct involvement in patient care, are well positioned to optimize treatment while helping to combat resistance. This narrative review compiles evidence from bibliographic databases covering literature published between January 2021 and October 2025. It assesses the clinical, economic, and operational impact of clinical pharmacists working within infectious diseases services and antimicrobial stewardship programs. The evidence indicates that these professionals enhance antimicrobial prescribing through stewardship leadership, pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic-guided dose optimization, rapid diagnostic stewardship, intravenous-to-oral switch programs, and the resolution of drug-related problems. Collaborative drug therapy management within antimicrobial stewardship programs can reduce antimicrobial expenditure by approximately 34.0%. Nevertheless, the available evidence remains heterogeneous and largely observational, with most data originating from high-income countries, which limits generalizability. Despite growing evidence of benefit, clinical pharmacy services remain underutilized in some low- and middle-income countries due to structural constraints, limited training opportunities, and workforce shortages. To optimize antimicrobial use and patient outcomes, health systems should better integrate infectious diseases clinical pharmacists into multidisciplinary teams, strengthen diagnostic capacity, and embed antimicrobial stewardship principles within pharmacy education. Clinical pharmacists have become integral clinical partners in infection management and prevention, with the potential to improve individual patient outcomes and contribute to greater antimicrobial resistance mitigation. Improving their role represents a strategic priority for preserving antimicrobial efficacy and enhancing patient safety.
Keywords
Resumen
La resistencia a los antimicrobianos es un importante desafío para la salud mundial, que conlleva resultados clínicos adversos, mayores costos de atención médica y una menor eficacia de los antimicrobianos. Los farmacéuticos clínicos, con experiencia avanzada en farmacoterapia y participación directa en la atención al paciente, están bien posicionados para optimizar el tratamiento y, al mismo tiempo, ayudar a combatir la resistencia. Esta revisión narrativa recopila evidencia de bases de datos bibliográficas que abarcan la literatura publicada entre enero de 2021 y octubre de 2025. Evalúa el impacto clínico, económico y operativo del trabajo de los farmacéuticos clínicos en servicios de enfermedades infecciosas y programas de optimización del uso de antimicrobianos. La evidencia indica que estos profesionales mejoran la prescripción de antimicrobianos mediante el liderazgo en la optimización de dosis, la optimización de dosis guiada por farmacocinética/farmacodinámica, la optimización diagnóstica rápida, los programas de cambio de vía intravenosa a oral y la resolución de problemas relacionados con los medicamentos. La gestión colaborativa de la farmacoterapia dentro de los programas de optimización del uso de antimicrobianos puede reducir el gasto en antimicrobianos en aproximadamente un 34,0 %. Sin embargo, la evidencia disponible sigue siendo heterogénea y en gran medida observacional, y la mayoría de los datos provienen de países de altos ingresos, lo que limita la generalización. A pesar de la creciente evidencia de sus beneficios, los servicios de farmacia clínica siguen infrautilizados en algunos países de ingresos bajos y medios debido a limitaciones estructurales, escasas oportunidades de capacitación y escasez de personal. Para optimizar el uso de antimicrobianos y los resultados en los pacientes, los sistemas de salud deben integrar mejor a los farmacéuticos clínicos especializados en enfermedades infecciosas en equipos multidisciplinarios, fortalecer la capacidad diagnóstica e integrar los principios de optimización del uso de antimicrobianos en la formación farmacéutica. Los farmacéuticos clínicos se han convertido en colaboradores clínicos esenciales en el manejo y la prevención de infecciones, con el potencial de mejorar los resultados individuales de los pacientes y contribuir a una mayor mitigación de la resistencia a los antimicrobianos. Mejorar su función representa una prioridad estratégica para preservar la eficacia de los antimicrobianos y mejorar la seguridad del paciente.
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Submitted date:
11/10/2025
Reviewed date:
01/20/2026
Accepted date:
03/12/2026
Publication date:
03/08/2026
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