Abstract
The emergency department (ED) is a fast-paced, high-risk, and often overburdened work
environment. Formal policy statements from several notable organizations, including
the American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP) and the American Society of Health-System
Pharmacists (ASHP), have recognized the importance of clinical pharmacists in the
emergency medicine (EM) setting. EM clinical pharmacists work alongside emergency
physicians and nurses at the bedside to optimize pharmacotherapy, improve patient
safety, increase efficiency and cost-effectiveness of care, facilitate antibiotic
stewardship, educate patients and clinicians, and contribute to scholarly efforts.
This paper examines the history of EM clinical pharmacists and associated training
programs, the diverse responsibilities and roles of EM clinical pharmacists, their
impact on clinical and financial outcomes, and proposes a conceptual model for EM
clinical pharmacist integration into ED patient care. Finally, barriers to implementing
EM clinical pharmacy programs and limitations are considered.
Keywords
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Article Info
Publication History
Published online: January 21, 2018
Accepted:
January 18,
2018
Received in revised form:
January 17,
2018
Received:
November 16,
2017
Identification
Copyright
© 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
