The concept of having critical care pharmacy services available 24/7 is certainly not new. The value of critical care pharmacists has been well documented through various studies where it was proved that critical care pharmacists reduce medication errors, improve patient outcomes, and decrease mortality rates among patients with thromboembolic diseases or infections. Critical care pharmacists are also recognized as essential by health care professionals outside the pharmacy profession.
It would therefore appear that critical care pharmacists should be a basic requirement for any ICU, because they are involved in diverse aspects of care procedures related to critically ill patients, they are well accepted by their peers, and because their work is associated with patients improved clinical outcomes.
Although certain factors, such as lack of financial resources or limitation of advanced pharmacy technology services may be beyond the control of the critical care pharmacist, other factors such as increased documentation in patient records, and pharmacist patient time, can and should be addressed more consistently by all critical care pharmacists. Expanding and emphasizing critical care pharmacists role will ensure the accuracy and the improvement of the clinical care initiated at the ICU. Critical Care Pharmacists are critical all the time.
#BestPractices #HealthCareReform #AJHP #InpatientCarePractitioner #Compounding #AmbulatoryCare #PharmacyPracticeManagers #criticalcare #AmbulatoryCarePractitioners #Anticoagulation #ASHPStaff #NewPractitioners #InpatientCare #ClinicalSpecialistsandScientists