Journal of pharmacy practice
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The practice of antimicrobial stewardship can be defined as optimizing clinical outcomes while minimizing the consequences of antimicrobial therapy such as resistance and superinfection. Antimicrobial stewardship can be difficult to transition to the emergency department (ED) since the traditional activities include the evaluation of broad-spectrum antimicrobial regimens at 72 and 96 hours and intravenous to oral medication conversion. ⋯ Specifically, the focus is on the steps for establishing an EPh-managed antimicrobial stewardship program, a description of the culture follow-up process, managing the culture data and cultures that require emergent notification and review, medical/legal concerns, and barriers to implementation. Outcomes data available from institutions with similar ED based antimicrobial stewardship programs are also discussed.
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The clinical pharmacist in the emergency department is now commonly incorporated as a member of the emergency department trauma team. As such, the emergency pharmacist needs to have detailed knowledge of the pharmacotherapy of resuscitation and be able to apply the skills needed to function as a valuable member of this team. ⋯ The ability to provide valuable pharmacological interventions throughout the resuscitation and stabilization process requires familiarity with the process of resuscitation, including rapid sequence induction, analgesia and sedation, seizure prophylaxis, appropriate antibiotic and tetanus prophylaxis, intracranial pressure control, hemodynamic stabilization, and any other specific drug therapy that the clinical situation demands. This article discusses the aforementioned pharmacotherapeutic topics and describes the role of the Emergency Pharmacist on the ED trauma team.
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Patients present to the emergency department (ED) for a variety of reasons and some require diagnostic and therapeutic procedures for their conditions. In order for some of these procedures to be carried out successfully, the patient must be at a suppressed level of consciousness in order to tolerate the associated pain and anxiety. Medications administered to achieve these goals include analgesics and sedatives as they decrease the patient's discomfort and awareness while allowing the patient to maintain their airway. ⋯ Common errors include drug-dosing, potential drug interactions, and administration of the wrong pharmacologic agent. Pharmacists in the ED can provide drug information and assist with drug selection and dosing; medication preparation; and monitoring of the patient and of the time intervals since medication administration relative to the duration of the procedure. Having a pharmacist present provides an extra layer of protection and reduces the likelihood for potential medication errors.