Outpatient Services Provided by Hospital Pharmacists in Initiating Growth Hormone Therapy for Pediatric Patients: A 10-Year Observational Study

Abstract

This retrospective study assessed the role of hospital pharmacists in the initiation of growth hormone (GH) therapy in an outpatient setting. The study included 28 pediatric patients (< 15 years old) who started GH therapy at our institution between January 2012 and December 2021. Following physician referrals, hospital pharmacists provided medication counseling to the patients and their families. Notably, 6 patients (20%) opted for a specific GH formulation after receiving detailed explanations from the pharmacists. The observed growth velocity (cm/year) and serum IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1) SD scores were comparable to those reported in clinical trials for Norditropin^®. Three patients (11%) opted to discontinue treatment. A survey among 5 pediatricians revealed a unanimous agreement that the involvement of hospital pharmacists in outpatient services alleviated their workload during the initiation of GH therapy. Thus, the task of providing medication counseling at the initiation of GH therapy in pediatric patients could potentially be shifted from physicians to pharmacists.