Impact of an aminoglycoside kinetic service on aminoglycoside use in a community hospital.

The effectiveness of an aminoglycoside monitoring service in improving the prescribing patterns of physicians in the hospital was evaluated. A drug utilization review (DUR) done as part of routine monitoring demonstrated a deficiency in eight of 19 elements based on national DUR standards. An aminoglycoside monitoring program developed by the Pharmacy Department was then implemented. A comparative DUR demonstrated significant improvement in five previously deficient elements, a trend towards improvement in two elements, and no change in one element. We conclude that a concurrent drug monitoring program with aggressive pharmacy participation improves prescribing patterns by physicians.