Drug intelligence & clinical pharmacy
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Drug Intell Clin Pharm · Jul 1988
Cardiopulmonary resuscitation documentation: a survey of 135 medical centers.
The pharmacist is an active member of the cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) team in many hospitals, dispensing medications, maintaining records, providing drug information, calculating doses, and mixing intravenous fluids. We surveyed 135 emergency department nursing directors across the country to assess the methods of and persons responsible for documentation during CPR. Ninety-five (70 percent) completed surveys were returned, showing that documentations was usually done by a nurse (81 percent), by a nurse and pharmacist (9 percent), by a pharmacist (7 percent), or by others (ward clerks, paramedics, or physicians) (3 percent). ⋯ A majority of respondents (57 percent) felt that an automated recording system would be useful. We conclude that there appears to be considerable variability in the method of documentation of events during CPR in emergency departments throughout the country. Future efforts in emergency care should include the involvement of pharmacists in the development and implementation of a uniform database for use by field and hospital personnel during CPR.