Shuanghe Li

and 5 more

Objective: Taking the practice of clinical pharmacists participating in enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocol of gastric cancer patients undergoing radical gastrectomy as an example, to explore the value of pharmacists in hospitalization cost control. Methods: 160 gastric cancer patients who underwent radical gastrectomy in Jiangsu Cancer Hospital from February 2023 to October 2023 were divided into control group and research group, with 80 cases in each group. The control group implemented the conventional ERAS protocol without the involvement of the clinical pharmacist. The research group was managed by a professional clinical pharmacist on the base of the conventional ERAS protocol. Results: (1) There were no significant differences in age, gender, site of surgical resection, and TNM stage between the two groups. (2) Compared with the control group, patients in the research group had shorter length of stay (LOS) (P < 0.001) and first postoperative ventilation time (P < 0.001), as well as fewer hospitalization cost (P = 0.005). (3) Albumin on postoperative day (POD) 30 and prealbumin on POD7 were significantly different between two groups (P = 0.029, P = 0.046). (4) The irrational prescription rate of antimicrobials (P < 0.001) and total nutrient admixture (P = 0.001) in the research group were significantly lower than those in the control group. Conclusion: This study shows that clinical pharmacists participating in perioperative ERAS program for gastric cancer can improve the nutritional status, promote the rehabilitation postoperative, shorten LOS, and increase the rate of rational drug use, thus reducing medical expenses