Clinical Pharmacists: An Invaluable Part of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Frontline Response.

Abstract

Although coronavirus disease 2019 was first identified in December 2019, it rapidly spread and became a global pandemic. The number of patients infected with the novel coronavirus (severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2) rose rapidly in New York State, placing great stress on healthcare systems. The traditional roles and practices of healthcare providers were dramatically redefined to meet the demand to care for the large number of ill patients. While literature reports on the experiences of many frontline staff, there is a scarcity of reports on the role of clinical pharmacists during this crisis. We report the role of critical care clinical pharmacists at a large academic medical center in New York City during this pandemic. Effective crisis management required clinical pharmacists to employ a wide array of skills and knowledge. Areas included clinical expertise, education, data analysis, health informatics infrastructure, and inventory management in times of surging medication use and manufacturer shortages. Clinical pharmacists fulfilled an essential service during the coronavirus pandemic by working to ensure the best possible outcomes for the patients they served on the frontline.