Code Blue in the Operating Room—pharmacy is on the way!

Abstract

BackgroundPharmacists have become an integrated part of the cardiac arrest (Code Blue) response team in the emergency department and inpatient settings. However, the attendance of pharmacists at intraoperative codes is less established. ObjectiveThe purpose of this paper was to describe the creation of the Perioperative Pharmacy Attendance for Intraoperative Codes Safety Initiative, report the impact it had on the intraoperative emergency code team, and discuss the limitations and difficulties experienced by the pharmacy department so that other institutions may have a foundation on which to build similar programs. Practice descriptionA large academic medical center successfully incorporated pharmacists into the intraoperative emergency code team. Practice innovationWe began by obtaining collaborative leadership support by using a quality assurance and improvement focus. In an organized manner, we methodically developed workflow protocols, educational programming, and promotional material to ensure that our initiative was able to be effectively used by the institution. Evaluation methodsA year after the implementation, clinicians evaluated the program and reported its impact on team performance. An evaluation regarding the difficulties experienced with the initiation of the program was also performed. ResultsMost clinicians stated that having pharmacists at intraoperative emergencies improved patient care as well as the code team’s performance. The difficulties experienced during the development of this program included workflow disruptions and the need for a continued effort to effectively advertise it to clinicians. ConclusionOur institution was able to create the successful Perioperative Pharmacy Attendance for Intraoperative Codes Safety Initiative. This paper describes the steps taken to create and implement this successful program as well as the integration of pharmacists into the intraoperative emergency setting.