Objective To explore the service contents of medication therapy management (MTM) for outpatient epileptic children by analyzing drug related problems (DRPs). Methods A cross-sectional study was adopted to analyze the status of DRPs in outpatient epileptic children in West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University. The focus group discussion method was adopted to formulate the specific service contents of MTM in outpatient epileptic children. Results A total of 2 754 cases of antiepileptic drug treatment were received in the pediatric clinic of West China Second Hospital of Sichuan University from October 1st, 2018 to December 31st, 2018, including 2 018 cases of monotherapy and 736 cases of combination therapy, involving 7 drugs and 10 specifications. The specifications in descending order of frequency of drug use were levetiracetam oral solution, levetiracetam tablets, sodium valproate oral solution, oxcarbazepine oral suspension, oxcarbazepine tablets, topiramate capsules, sodium valproate sustained-release tablets, lamotrigine tablets, magnesium valproate sustained-release tablets and carbamazepine tablets. We applied the Pharmaceutical Care Network Europe (PCNE) classification and found 718 DRPs, mainly focusing on drug selection and improper course of treatment. The specific service contents of MTM for children with epilepsy in the clinic included hospital pharmacy information services, medical teams established by pharmacists, doctors and nurses, child education and medication consultation, and medication follow-up for discharged children. In addition, specific measures to solve DRPs in outpatient epileptic children were designed from 2 aspects of disease management and medication education, and 3 aspects of drug prescription, dispensing, and usage. Conclusions There are various types of antiepileptic medications and treatment schemes for children, and DRPs are complicated. Therefore, MTM for children with epilepsy requires to be strengthened. In this study, the specific intervention contents of MTM for outpatient epileptic children are designed to carry out the follow-up empirical study to verify the effectiveness of MTM.
