Ways pharmacists improve safety, efficiency in the ED
Getting right meds to right patients is key
Hospitals can improve emergency department operations by adding pharmacists to the mix. Here are some ways this will benefit the organization:
• Assure appropriateness of medications: "We do a chart review on an ongoing basis and identify patients we should check because they're at risk or have an unusual presentation or disease state," says Chris Kutza, PharmD, pharmacy manager of Advocate Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, IL.
"After identifying those patients, we work with physicians, nurses, and caregivers to see how the patients are doing and to try to stay involved in the patients' treatment strategy," Kutza adds.
• Have ED pharmacist available for consults: "Sometimes the RN or physician will grab us or call us on the portable phone to talk with us about a patient's medications or discharge planning," Kutza says.
"We've discussed with the medical staff how it's important if a pharmacist is available to have the pharmacist involved at all times," he adds. "If a specific drug is going to be used, then there is an informal process between the pharmacist and physician to have the pharmacist help."
• Do patient medication and allergy histories: "Often the pharmacist can do a more thorough medication history because of his or her training," Kutza says. "We screen patients admitted to the hospital and make a note to talk to that patient and get as thorough a medication history as possible before the patient is put in an inpatient room."
While it's not efficient to do this with all patients, it's important to do so with patients who have more complicated cases.
• Counsel patients about their medications: "We provide selective and on a consult-basis discharge counseling," Kutza says. "If a patient is sent home on something that's unusual, we'll counsel the patient on that."
• Educate ED staff and residents: "We give inservices on various medical topics, both formal and informal," Kutza says. "We've been asked to do lectures on specific topics for those residents in their education."
• Collaborate on research projects: "We're not an academic institution, but we have done a couple of research projects," Kutza says. "We did one on efficacy of two different treatments on a disease state.
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