Medication follow-up in newborns with extremely low birth-weight.

Objective: The medication follow-up in infants with extremely low birth-weight in a neonatal intensive care unit is described, identifying drug-related problems (DRP), drug-related negative outcomes, and the relationship between the occurrence of DRP and birth-weight of newborns and their impact on pharmacotherapy and length of hospital stay.

Methods: A descriptive and exploratory study was performed in which medication follow-up of a population of infants with extremely low birth-weight admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit of a government-run maternity hospital was carried out by clinical pharmacists. Monitoring comprised assessment of patients' pharmacotherapy needs through visits to the neonatal unit, evaluation of prescriptions and information on medical records, identification of issues associated with pharmacotherapy and follow-up of the newborns' clinical evolution to determine whether desired results were achieved.