Workforce, Deployment, and Characteristics of Clinical Pharmacy in Chilean Hospitals: A Nationwide Cross-Sectional Survey.

BACKGROUND

National data on clinical pharmacy implementation can inform health policy, resource allocation, workforce planning, and academic development. In Chile, such data are limited, particularly for therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM). The objective of this study was to characterize the clinical pharmacy workforce in Chilean hospitals and describe the implementation of core clinical activities, with an emphasis on TDM.

METHODS

A national cross-sectional survey was conducted among pharmacists performing clinical functions in Chilean hospitals, using the 2024 registry of the Clinical Pharmacy Division of the Chilean Society of Intensive Care Medicine as the sampling frame. Descriptive analyses were performed; workforce capacity was expressed as full-time equivalents (FTEs) and regional density per 10 000 inhabitants.

RESULTS

Of 220 invited pharmacists, 181 responded (82.3%), representing 83 institutions across 15 of 16 administrative regions. Median age was 35 years (interquartile range [IQR] 31-39); 28.2% were registered Clinical Pharmacy Specialists, and 77.1% worked in public hospitals. The highest density was in the Metropolitan Region (0.12 FTE/10000 inhabitants), followed by Tarapacá and Antofagasta (0.09 each). Deployment was most frequent in Infectious Diseases (36.5%) and intensive care units (34.8%). Pharmacotherapy follow-up and medication therapy review were each reported by 94.5%, adverse drug reaction reporting by 87.3%, and involvement in TDM by 85.1%. Teaching and research were reported by 44.8% and 30.4%, respectively, but 95.5% reported no formally protected time. TDM was available in 81.9% of centers, most commonly for vancomycin (80.7%), valproic acid (63.9%), amikacin (60.2%), and phenytoin (57.8%); pharmacokinetic software to support dose individualization was used in 61.4% of centers.

CONCLUSION

Clinical pharmacy services in Chile are broadly integrated into hospital care-particularly in infectious diseases, critical care, and TDM-while gaps persist in formal credentialing, regional workforce distribution, and institutional structures supporting academic activities.