Emergency Medicine Pharmacist Research Articles

Challenges with current diagnosis and treatment strategies for precipitated opioid withdrawal in the emergency department and the role of the pharmacist.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. To demonstrate the challenges with current diagnosis and treatment strategies for precipitated opioid withdrawal secondary to naloxone the emergency department (ED) setting and describe the role of the emergency medicine (EM) pharmacist in its management. There are no standardized criteria to define precipitated opioid withdrawal syndrome, so the diagnosis is typically based on sentinel signs and symptoms and time course. Complicating factors include a positive urine toxicology screen for nonopioid substances, comorbidities and associated medications prior to admission, medications given in the ED, and a fluctuating patient course during the ED stay that likely involves all these issues. Although buprenorphine is frequently recommended as the primary treatment for precipitated withdrawal, its use can be complicated if patients are on methadone maintenance or other long-acting opioids. The EM pharmacist plays a key role in managing patients with precipitated withdrawal. Practice changes related to the diagnosis and treatment of opioid use disorder (OUD) with precipitated withdrawal in the ED are needed. EM pharmacists as part of the interprofessional care team have an important role in the management of patients with OUD, including those patients undergoing possible precipitated withdrawal.

Sepsis call emergency department pharmacist service: a single healthcare network cohort study

AbstractBackgroundSepsis and septic shock are common emergency department (ED) presentations, with current guidelines recommending early administration of antibiotics to reduce mortality.AimSepsis calls with pharmacist attendance have been introduced at two EDs, and the aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this service on outcomes of all septic patients.MethodAt a multisite, single healthcare network, located in Victoria, Australia, emergency medicine pharmacists were trained in assisting medical staff in antibiotic selection, dosing, and delivering antibiotics directly to nursing staff. The sepsis call service was introduced in May 2022 at one site and in March 2023 at another site, with time to first antibiotic administration, morbidity, and mortality being compared to the outcomes of patients from the same EDs from January–April 2022 (group 1). Post the sepsis call introduction, two cohorts were compared: sepsis call attended patients without a pharmacist (group 2) and with a pharmacist (group 3). This project was exempt due to the local policy requirements that constitute research by the Monash Health Human Research Ethics Committee (Reference no: RES‐23‐0000‐237Q). The justification for this ethics exemption was as follows: the study was retrospective, included privacy protections for patients' data, and presented no increased risk to patient care.ResultsThe study included 201 patients, with time to first antibiotic administration on average 302.0 min in group 1, 201.3 min (p = 0.007) in group 2, and 89.8 min (p < 0.001) in group 3. Mortality (p = 0.306), rates of acute kidney injury (p = 0.111), intensive care unit (ICU) admission (p = 0.002), and need for dialysis (p = 0.497) were all reduced in group 3. Adherence to antibiotic guidelines was increased in group 3 (p < 0.001).ConclusionEmergency medicine pharmacist contribution led to reduced time to first antibiotic, an improved adherence to antibiotic guidelines, and positive trends in secondary clinical outcomes. Further research is required to determine the significance of improvements in mortality, intensive care unit admissions, and renal impairment.

A national survey of medication utilization for cardiac resuscitation in the emergency department: A survey of emergency medicine pharmacists.

In an effort to expedite the publication of articles, AJHP is posting manuscripts online as soon as possible after acceptance. Accepted manuscripts have been peer-reviewed and copyedited, but are posted online before technical formatting and author proofing. These manuscripts are not the final version of record and will be replaced with the final article (formatted per AJHP style and proofed by the authors) at a later time. Vasoactive medications are used during advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) to shunt oxygenated blood to vital organs and after return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) to maintain hemodynamic goals. However, limited evidence exists to support vasoactive medication recommendations in such scenarios, and it is unknown how practices vary among emergency departments across the US. A survey questionnaire (15 questions) was electronically distributed to emergency medicine pharmacists (EMPs) in the US through various professional listservs. Demographic information, American Heart Association ACLS algorithm medication use, and use of continuous vasopressor infusions and adjunct medications following ROSC were assessed and are reported descriptively. The survey was distributed to 764 EMPs, with a 23% response rate from a wide geographic distribution and 48% of respondents practicing in academic medical centers. Epinephrine dosing and administration during cardiac arrest were reported by most to be in accordance with ACLS cardiac arrest algorithms. Calcium, magnesium sulfate, and sodium bicarbonate were the most common adjunct intravenous medications given during cardiac arrest. Norepinephrine was the first-choice vasopressor (81%) for post-ROSC hypotension, while epinephrine was preferred less frequently (17%). Antibiotics and sodium bicarbonate were the most frequently administered post-ROSC adjunct medications. This survey of a geographically diverse group of EMPs demonstrated high ACLS algorithm adherence for epinephrine during cardiac arrest with frequent additional administration of nonalgorithm medications. Sodium bicarbonate and calcium were the most frequently administered adjunct medications during cardiac arrest, while sodium bicarbonate and antibiotics were the most frequently used adjunct medications following ROSC. Norepinephrine was the most commonly used vasopressor following ROSC.

A collaborative pharmacist-led intervention to prevent hospital readmissions among elderly patients discharged from the emergency department: a retrospective cohort study

Unplanned hospital readmission is a safety and quality healthcare measure, conferring significant costs to the healthcare system. Elderly individuals, particularly, are at high risk of readmissions, often due to issues related to medication management. Pharmacists play a pivotal role in addressing medication-related concerns, which can potentially reduce readmissions. This retrospective single-centre cohort study, conducted from November 2022 to February 2023 in an emergency department, aimed to determine if integrating emergency medicine pharmacists into Emergency Department care models reduces unplanned hospital readmissions within 28 days and to identify the interventions they employ. The inclusion criteria included patients aged ≥ 65, taking ≥ 3 medications, and presenting with falls, cognition changes, or reduced mobility and were planned for discharge to home from the emergency department. Collaborating with the Emergency Department Aged Care Service Emergency Team, a pharmacist provided comprehensive medication management consultations, discharge liaison services, and other pharmacy related interventions to eligible participants whenever the pharmacist was available. Patients who met the eligibility criteria but did not receive pharmacist interventions due to the pharmacist's unavailability served as the control group. This method was chosen to ensure that the control group consisted of comparable patients who only differed in terms of receiving the pharmacist intervention. The study included 210 participants, with 120 receiving pharmacist interventions and 90 acting as controls. The results revealed a significant reduction in unplanned hospital readmissions among participants who received pharmacist interventions (10.0%, n = 12) compared to controls (22.2%, n = 20), with a notable difference of 12.2% (95% confidence interval 2.4–23.4%, p = 0.01). A total of 107 interventions were documented, emphasising medication selection recommendations (28.0%) and identification of adverse drug reactions/drug-drug interactions (21.5%) as primary areas of focus. These findings suggest that integrating skilled pharmacists into Emergency Department Aged Care Service Emergency Team (ASET) lowered the rate of unplanned hospital readmission within 28 days resulting in improved hospital performance metric outcomes. This highlights the potential role of pharmacists in addressing medication-related issues and enhancing the quality and safety of healthcare delivery, particularly for elderly patients transitioning from the ED to home care settings.

Measuring pharmacy clinical workload in the emergency department: Current status and a plan for action

BackgroundInpatient pharmacy productivity workload ratios historically encompass dispensing functions including numbers of medication orders verified, dispensed, and billed for and full-time equivalents (FTEs) but do not include pharmacy clinical activities. Clinical pharmacy activities are difficult to capture because they generally require manual documentation and vary among health systems. The emergency medicine pharmacists’ (EMPs) role adds additional complexity to capturing clinical activities given that bedside response and verbal recommendations are difficult to capture outside of manual documentation. It is unknown how many health systems use EMP-specific workload metrics. ObjectivesThe purpose of our survey was to determine the percentage of hospital pharmacies that use EMP-specific workload metrics, to describe workload metrics used by EMPs and to quantify time spent on clinical activities, and to describe methods for implementing EMP metrics. MethodsA 13-item questionnaire was developed, pretested, and sent to EMPs practicing in hospitals in the United States through 2 EMP national committee e-mail listservs. Survey completion online included questions on hospital characteristics, number of EMP FTEs, clinical services provided and time spent on these tasks, and current workload metrics used. ResultsFull responses to the survey were received from 100 pharmacists, with an overall response rate of 9.8%. Workload metrics specific to EMP activities were used by 15.1% of responders. Workload metrics were used but not tailored to EMP activities for 43% of responders, and 41.9% responded that no metrics were used whatsoever. Ten responders provided commentary on types of EMP activities tracked, which included bedside response for critical patients, culture callback, drug information and dosing, time to antibiotic administration, and medication histories. No universal software for metric tracking was identified. ConclusionA survey of EMP clinical services and workload metrics indicated that although 43% of responders use non-EMP-specific metrics, only 15.1% reported workload metrics that capture EMP clinical activities.

Pharmacists in Trauma: a randomised controlled trial of emergency medicine pharmacists in trauma response teams

BackgroundAnalgesia is an important component for patient well-being, but commonly delayed during trauma resuscitation. The Pharmacists in Trauma trial assessed the effects of integrating pharmacists into trauma response teams to...

An overview of benzodiazepines for adult status epilepticus and the role of the emergency medicine pharmacist

An overview of benzodiazepines for adult status epilepticus and the role of the emergency medicine pharmacist

Cost-avoidance associated with implementation of an overnight emergency medicine pharmacist at a Level I Trauma, Comprehensive Stroke Center

AimTo investigate the cost-avoidance associated with implementation of an overnight emergency medicine pharmacist (EMP) through documented clinical interventions. DesignRetrospective evaluation of prospectively tracked interventions in a single Level I Trauma, Comprehensive Stroke Center, from November 25, 2020 through March 12, 2021 during expanded emergency medicine service hours (2300–0700). InterventionsOne of 45 clinical patient-care recommendations associated with cost-avoidance were available to be selected and documented by the EMP; more than one intervention was allowed per patient, though one clinical intervention could not be counted as multiple items. Documented services were associated with monetary cost avoidance based upon available literature assessing pharmacy clinical interventions. Differences in time from imaging to systemic thrombolytics and percentage of patients meeting door-to-alteplase benchmarks were compared with and without the availability of EMPs. ResultsOvernight EMPs documented 820 interventions during 107 overnight shifts with a cost avoidance of $612,974. The most common interventions were bedside monitoring (n = 127; $50,694), drug information consultation (97; $11,269), and antimicrobial therapy initiation and streamlining (95; $60,101). When categorizing interventions, 378 (46%; $292,484) were input as hands-on care, 216 (26%; $94,899) as individualization of patient care, 135 (17%; $25,897) as administrative and supportive tasks, 84 (10%; $121,746) as adverse drug event prevention, and 7 (1%; $77,964) as resource utilization. All patients (n = 6) with an acute ischemic stroke during the evaluation period received systemic thrombolytics ≤45 min in the presence of EMPs compared with 50% receiving thrombolytics ≤45 min without EMPs. ConclusionsExpanded overnight coverage by EMPs provided clinical bedside pharmacotherapy expertise to critically ill patients otherwise not available prior to study implementation. Clinical interventions were associated with substantial cost-avoidance.

Time to oral anticoagulant reversal in intracranial hemorrhage with an emergency medicine pharmacist presence

PurposeIntracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is associated with high morbidity and mortality, with mortality rates up to 65%. Oral anticoagulants (OAC) are a major risk factor for ICH. Since these patients are usually diagnosed in the emergency department (ED), emergency medicine (EM) pharmacists can help ensure appropriate selection and delivery of medications in urgent situations including reversal agents for OAC-associated bleeding. The purpose of this study was to determine the impact EM pharmacist presence has on time to OAC reversal in patients presenting with an ICH. ProceduresThis was a retrospective, single-center cohort study evaluating time to reversal of OAC-associated ICH at a level one trauma center between November 2016 and September 2022. Patients 18 years or older who presented to the ED with an OAC-associated ICH and received at least one dose of an emergent reversal agent were included. Patients were excluded if their ICH was diagnosed at an outside facility, if they received emergent reversal agents for other indications, or if they had do not resuscitate orders upon admission. The primary outcome was time to administration of reversal agent with or without an EM pharmacist present, represented as median [interquartile range]. Secondary outcomes included hematoma expansion, hospital length of stay, intensive care unit LOS, and in-hospital mortality. ResultsOf the 157 patients evaluated, 83 met criteria for inclusion. Majority of patients presented with warfarin-associated ICH (55%) and the most common indication for OAC was atrial fibrillation (66%). The most common type of ICH was intracerebral hemorrhage (35%). The median time to emergent reversal agent administration was significantly shorter in the EM pharmacist group (50 min [31–65] vs. 85 min [51–121], p < 0.01). No significant differences in secondary outcomes existed. ConclusionsThe presence of an EM pharmacist at the bedside of patients who present to the ED with ICH was associated with a decrease in the time to OAC reversal by 36 min. Presence of an EM pharmacist was not associated with improved clinical outcomes for ICH in our study. Larger trials are warranted to determine whether the presence of an EM pharmacist is associated with improved functional and clinical outcomes in patients with OAC-associated ICH and whether time to newer reversal agents, other than 4F-PCC, has an effect on outcomes.

Expanding expedited partner therapy and HIV prophylaxis in the emergency department.

Sexually transmitted infections (STIs) continue to have a disproportionate impact on individuals belonging to sexual, gender, and racial minorities. Across the nation, many emergency medicine pharmacists (EMPs) possess the skills and knowledge to expand the provision of expedited partner therapy (EPT) for STIs and provide HIV prophylaxis within existing practice frameworks. This report serves as a call to action for expanded provision of EPT and HIV prophylaxis by EMPs and highlights current barriers and solutions to increase pharmacist involvement in these practice areas. Emergency medicine pharmacy practice continues to expand to allow for limited prescribing authority through collaborative practice agreements (CPAs). In recent years, CPA restrictions have been changed to facilitate treatment of more patients with less bureaucracy. This report addresses the unique challenges and opportunities for expanding EPT and HIV pre- and postexposure prophylaxis provision by pharmacists in emergency departments (EDs). Furthermore, current strategies and treatments for EPT, such as patient-delivered partner therapy and HIV prophylaxis, are discussed. Pharmacist involvement in STI treatment and HIV prevention is a key strategy to increase access to high-risk populations with high ED utilization and help close current gaps in care. Expanding EMP provision of EPT and HIV prophylaxis may be beneficial to reducing the incidence of STIs and HIV infection in the community. CPAs offer a feasible solution to increase pharmacist involvement in the provision of these treatments. Legislative efforts to expand pharmacist scope of practice can also contribute to increasing access to EPT and HIV prophylaxis. With these efforts, EMPs can play an essential role in the fight against STIs and HIV.

Impact of antibiotic allergy labels on timely and appropriate antibiotics for sepsis in the emergency department

Abstract Objectives Time to initiation of effective antibiotic therapy is a strong predictor of survival for patients with sepsis presenting to the Emergency Department (ED). Antibiotic allergy labels (AALs) are a known barrier to timely sepsis management. The aim was to evaluate the influence of AALs on timely sepsis management for ED sepsis presentations in an Australian hospital. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted for ED presentations requiring direct ICU admission for suspected sepsis, comparing patients with and without an AAL using propensity scores. Results Between November 2018 and June 2021, 377 patients were included. The prevalence of an AAL was 29.6% (86/377). The median time to antibiotic administration was similar in the AAL versus non-AAL groups (51 versus 60 min, P = 0.11); there was no difference in mortality (14.1% versus 14.0%, P = 0.98) and length of stay (9.21 versus 10.10 days). The median time to antibiotic administration was shorter in those with Emergency Medicine (EM) pharmacist attendance versus those without (50 versus 92 min, P = 0.0001). Appropriateness of antibiotic prescription was 91.0% (343/377) for the overall cohort and was not associated with AALs, possibly due to our clear antimicrobial sepsis guidelines; however, EM pharmacist involvement was associated with increased antibiotic appropriateness (97.3% versus 88.4%, P = 0.00048). Conclusions In our Australian ED, AALs were not found to impact timeliness of antibiotic administration in patients with sepsis. EM pharmacist involvement was associated with improved timeliness and appropriateness of antibiotic selection in patients presenting with sepsis.

Pharmacist involvement in blood culture follow up for patients discharged from the emergency department

Study objectiveThis study evaluates the time to attempted patient contact for positive blood cultures in patients discharged from the Emergency Department (ED) resulting when an Emergency Medicine (EM) pharmacist is on-duty compared to off-duty. MethodsThis single center, retrospective study included patients who were discharged from the ED and had subsequent positive blood cultures. Blood cultures were reviewed utilizing an algorithm previously approved and implemented by an interdisciplinary team in 2016. Standard practice was for the microbiology lab to notify the ED charge nurse of the positive blood culture, however, the algorithm placed the pharmacist as the responsible reviewer when on duty, leaving charge nurses and physicians as the responsible reviewers when a pharmacist was off duty and not on site. The primary outcome was time from ED notification of the positive gram stain of the blood culture to first attempted patient contact; we compared this outcome for cultures resulting when an EM pharmacist was on duty to those resulting when an EM pharmacist was off duty. Despite being off duty, a pharmacist may have reviewed these cultures if they remained unaddressed when the pharmacist returned on-site. In this case, the blood culture review was included in the off-duty cohort. Secondary outcomes included evaluation for appropriateness of the recommendation made to the patient during contact, 30-day infection-related readmission rates, patient's adherence to the recommendations, and barriers to patient contact. An infectious disease attending physician independently reviewed cases where the algorithm was not followed. ResultsA total of 127 patients identified by a query of our institution's database were screened against inclusion/exclusion criteria and 56 were excluded, leaving 71 patients for final analysis (54 and 17 in the on- and off-duty cohorts, respectively). Baseline demographics with respect to sex, age and risk factors for bacteremia were not different between groups, except there were more immunocompromised patients in the on-duty cohort (35.2%) compared to off-duty cohort (5.9%) [p = 0.01]. Median [IQR] time to first attempted patient contact was significantly shorter in the on-duty cohort at 0.8 h [0.4–2.8] vs 5.6 h [1.4–11.7] (p = 0.025). A pharmacist acted upon 93% of all cultures, including several resulting during off-duty hours. Secondary outcomes did not differ. Fourteen (25.9%) of on-duty cultures and six (35.3%) of off-duty cultures were deemed contaminants. Two recommendations in the off-duty group were inappropriate based on the infectious disease attending physician review. The lack of active voicemail was the main barrier to contacting a patient. ConclusionsIn patients discharged from the ED with subsequent positive blood cultures, time to attempted patient contact was significantly shorter when a pharmacist was on-duty. Our data emphasizes the importance of having a standardized practice in place to optimize ED patient care and outcomes and the benefit of a pharmacist's involvement in the process.

Impact of a Pediatric Emergency Medicine Pharmacist, Institutional Guideline, and Electronic Order Set on Empiric Antimicrobial Use for Febrile Neutropenia.

This study evaluated the difference in appropriateness of antimicrobial selection in pediatric patients with febrile neutropenia (FN) after implementation of an institutional guideline, a dedicated pediatric emergency medicine (EM) pharmacist, and an electronic order set. This was a retrospective cohort study that included febrile patients aged younger than 18 years who were at risk of neutropenia, as defined by our institutional algorithm. Charts were evaluated for inclusion by searching for patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) between February 2018 and January 2022 who had International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision (ICD-10) codes for patients at risk of FN. Three independent groups were compared before, during, and after interventions. A historical control group (group 1), postdedicated EM pharmacist and institutional guideline cohort (group 2), and postdedicated EM pharmacist, institutional guideline, and electronic order set cohort (group 3) were compared. Secondary outcomes included time from registration in the ED to administration of the first dose of empiric antimicrobials, days to defervescence, pediatric intensive care unit length of stay, and hospital length of stay. Seventy-eight charts were reviewed for inclusion. Among those included (n = 38), there was an increase in appropriate use of antimicrobials from 71% to 92% to 100% ( P = 0.1534) between group 1, group 2, and group 3, respectively. In addition, the interventions in this study lead to an overall decrease in the median time from registration to first dose of antibiotics from 142 minutes to 72 minutes ( P = 0.1370). This study demonstrated the positive impact a pediatric EM pharmacist along with an institutional guideline and an electronic order set have on appropriate antimicrobial selection in pediatric FN patients. Institutions should consider multipronged approaches to improve the selection and time to administration of appropriate empiric antimicrobials in the ED.

Introduction of an emergency medicine pharmacist-led sepsis alert response system in the emergency department: A cohort study.

To determine effects of implementing a sepsis alert response system in the ED that included early intervention by emergency medicine (EM) pharmacists. A prospective cohort (8 February 2016 to 28 February 2018) of patients after implementation of a sepsis alert response system in an Australian ED was compared to a retrospective cohort (3 January 2015 to 7 February 2016) of patients with sepsis who presented during EM pharmacist working hours and were admitted to the ICU. There were 184 patients, including 80 patients pre- and 104 patients post-implementation. The post-intervention cohort was triaged at a higher acuity, had higher quick Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) scores and higher initial lactate measurements. After the intervention, antimicrobial agents were administered to patients within 60 min of presentation more often (21 [26.3%] to 85 [81.7%], P < 0.001). After adjusting for presenting triage category, admission lactate and presenting qSOFA scores, this association remained significant (adjusted odds ratio 9.99; 95% confidence interval 4.7-21.3). Significant improvements were observed for proportion of patients who had intravenous fluids initiated within 60 min (47.5% vs 72.1%); proportion of patients who had serum lactate measured within 60 min (50.0% vs 77.9%) and proportion of patients who had blood cultures performed within 60 min (52.5% vs 85.6%). Implementation of a sepsis alert response that included early involvement of the EM pharmacist was associated with improvement in time to antimicrobials and other components of the sepsis bundle. An upfront, multidisciplinary approach to patients presenting to the ED with suspected sepsis should be considered more broadly.

PEARL: Pharmacy Education Applied to Resident Learners.

Emergency medicine residents typically train with the support of emergency medicine pharmacists (EMP), but many EM residents will practice in post-graduation settings without EMP assistance. Therefore, a novel pharmacy curriculum for postgraduate year-1 (PGY-1) EMRs was developed, implemented, and assessed. We performed a controlled study of 25 residents from two separate EM programs in Detroit, MI. One program was the control group and the other program was the intervention group. The primary outcome was pre- and post-curriculum knowledge assessment scores, and the secondary outcome was pre- and post-curriculum, self-perceived knowledge survey responses. We performed statistical analyses with Welch's t-test or the Mann-Whitney U test. The pre-curriculum assessment scores (41% ± 11; 41% ± 8.1; P = 0.96; mean ± SD) and average pre-curriculum survey responses (2.8 ± 0.92; 3.0 ± 0.60; P = 0.35) were not statistically different between the control and the intervention groups. The post-curriculum assessment scores (63% ± 14; 74% ± 8.3; P = 0.04) and the average post-curriculum survey responses (4.2 ± 0.61; 5.0 ± 0.74, P = 0.02) were statistically different. The increase from the pre- to post-curriculum assessment scores (24% ± 11; 33% ± 11; P = 0.05) was also significantly different. The implementation of a novel pharmacy curriculum for PGY-1 EM residents resulted in improved knowledge of and comfort with pharmaceuticals and therapeutics specific to EM practice. The impact on patient care and frequency of medical errors requires further investigation.

Rapid sequence intubation and the role of the emergency medicine pharmacist: 2022 update.

The dosing, potential adverse effects, and clinical outcomes of the most commonly utilized pharmacologic agents for rapid sequence intubation (RSI) are reviewed for the practicing emergency medicine pharmacist (EMP). RSI is the process of establishing a safe, functional respiratory system in patients unable to effectively breathe on their own. Various medications are chosen to sedate and even paralyze the patient to facilitate an efficient endotracheal intubation. The mechanism of action and pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic profiles of these agents were described in a 2011 review. Since then, the role of the EMP as well as the published evidence regarding RSI agents, including dosing, adverse effects, and clinical outcomes, has grown. It is necessary for the practicing EMP to update previous practice patterns in order to continue to provide optimal patient care. While the agents used in RSI have changed little, knowledge regarding optimal dosing, appropriate patient selection, and possible adverse effects continues to be gained. The EMP is a key member of the bedside care team and uniquely positioned to communicate this evolving data.

Pharmacist authors of emergency medicine organization work products pertaining to pharmacotherapy.

Despite the expertise that emergency medicine (EM) pharmacists bring to multidisciplinary teams in the emergency department (ED) setting, they are not commonly present on writing groups for guidelines, policies, or task forces pertaining to EM pharmacotherapy. The purpose of this article is to quantify EM pharmacist involvement on author bylines of guidelines, position statements, and other official documents that specifically encompass EM pharmacotherapy. Official work products released between January 1, 2010, and May 1, 2021, were collected from the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Society for Academic Emergency Medicine (SAEM), and American Academy of Emergency Medicine (AAEM) and the table of contents of the following journals: Annals of Emergency Medicine, Academic Emergency Medicine, and Journal of Emergency Medicine. A modified Delphi approach was used to gain consensus amongst the authors on which work products to include in the initial review and which works pertained to pharmacotherapy. The primary endpoint was the percentage of pharmacists listed as authors on EM work products pertaining to pharmacotherapy. Overall, 76 EM work products were identified. Forty-seven work products with a total of 248 authors contained at least 1 recommendation pertaining to pharmacotherapy. Of these 47 EM work products, 23 (49%) were from AAEM, 16 (34%) were from Annals of Emergency Medicine (published on behalf of ACEP), 5 (11%) were from Journal of Emergency Medicine (published on behalf of AAEM), and 3 (6%) were from SAEM. The median number of authors per work product was 4. There were 5 pharmacists listed on work products (2% of the total of 248 authors). Additionally, there were 9 nonpharmacist/nonphysician authors (4% of the total). Pharmacist inclusion on author lists of recently published EM work products pertaining to pharmacotherapy is extremely low. Given their unique knowledge pertaining to EM pharmacotherapy, an effort should be made to increase inclusion of pharmacists as authors of EM work products with recommendations that pertain to pharmacotherapy.

Implementation and safety evaluation of autoverification for select low-risk, high-volume medications in the emergency department.

Use of autoverification has decreased in many emergency departments (EDs) with the expansion of emergency medicine (EM) pharmacists. Few studies have evaluated ways to prioritize verification of medications. Here we describe a process to design, implement, and measure the safety of autoverification of low-risk, high-volume medications. A 3-month retrospective review of medications ordered and administered in the ED generated a list of medications to be considered for autoverification. Concurrently, a novel risk stratification tool was created to identify low-risk medications. Taking these together, medications that were high volume and low risk were considered potentially autoverified medications (PAMs). To evaluate the safety of PAMs, a retrospective review of the ED medication orders placed before implementation of autoverification was performed. A total of 7,433 medication orders were reviewed. Of these, 3,057 orders (41%) were identified as PAMs. EM pharmacists verified 2,982 (97.5%) of the orders without changes. Of the remaining 93 orders that were modified or discontinued and met autoverification criteria, only 2 (0.07%) were identified as potentially inappropriate for autoverification. Low-risk, high-volume medications can be safely autoverified in the ED by using a systematic approach to order selection. Using these methods can provide large decreases in verification volume, close to 41%, without compromising patient safety.

Emergency medicine pharmacist interventions reducing exposure to costs (EMPIRE-C)

Emergency Medicine (EM) pharmacists are considered essential healthcare providers in the Emergency Department (ED). Limited data are available representing the types of interventions performed by ED pharmacists, especially in community-based health systems. Retrospective, multi-centered, observational review of documented EM clinical pharmacist interventions into the electronic medical record (EMR) across five separate EDs between July 1, 2020 and June 30, 2021. Interventions were separated into three categories: ED Intervention, ED Outpatient Culture Review, and ED Discharge Antimicrobial Review. Interventions with supporting literature related to cost avoidance were also analyzed. A total of 23,794 interventions were logged by the EM pharmacy team between the three categories. Of those, 9181 were cost avoidance interventions resulting in $5,350,755.63 in total cost avoidance, or $582.81 per intervention. EM pharmacists practicing in community settings have a substantial impact on patients as evidenced by the large quantity and variety of interventions logged which also results in significant cost avoidance to the healthcare system.

Medication Safety in the Emergency Department: A Study of Serious Medication Errors Reported by 101 Hospitals From 2011 to 2020

Background: Although serious medication errors are uncommon, accounting for only 0.4% (166 of 46,568) of medication errors reported to the Pennsylvania Patient Safety Reporting System (PA-PSRS) in 2020, their effects can be devastating for patients and their loved ones. Methods: We queried PA-PSRS for reports of serious events classified as medication errors that occurred in the emergency department (ED) from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020. We performed a descriptive analysis to identify trends among patient sex, patient age, event harm score, event day of the week, and event time of day. We also manually coded and analyzed events based on the prescribed medication(s) and medication class(es), stage of the medication-use process at which the error occurred, and medication error type. Results: We identified 250 reports of serious medication error events in PA-PSRS that occurred in the ED from 2011 to 2020. Reports more often specified that the patient was female (61.2%; 153 of 250), and patients ranged in age from 8 months to 96 years, with a median patient age of 55 years. Events were significantly more likely to occur Friday through Sunday versus Monday through Thursday (p = .0214) and in the p.m. hours versus a.m. hours, (p = .0007). The most common prescribed medications mentioned in reports were epinephrine, insulin, hydromorphone, sodium chloride, heparin, propofol, diltiazem, ketamine, and morphine. Events occurred most often at the prescribing stage of the medication-use process (42.0%; 105 of 250), and the most common medication error type was a wrong dose (42.0%; 105 of 250). Conclusion: Potential safety strategies to consider to reduce the risk of medication errors in the ED include stocking epinephrine autoinjectors, using clinical decision support at the ordering/prescribing stage of the process, and adding an emergency medicine pharmacist as part of an interdisciplinary emergency medicine team.