A Survey of Staff Perceptions of an Emergency Medicine Pharmacist Program in a Community Hospital: A Brief Report.

Study Objective: For an emergency medicine pharmacist to become a well-integrated multidisciplinary team member, his or her services need to be accepted by the emergency department (ED) staff. There have been 2 published studies attesting the value of the emergency medicine pharmacist by ED staff: at an academic medical and trauma center in 2007 and a large academic medical center in 2011. The aim of this study is to determine whether the emergency medicine pharmacist's value, as perceived by ED staff, would be similarly accepted at a smaller community hospital with limited clinical pharmacist services.

Methods: This prospective, descriptive survey examined the perceptions of ED providers and nurses in regard to the emergency medicine pharmacist at a 26-bed Level II trauma center with 65,135 annual visits.

Results: Of the 90 participants polled, 50% (45) responded. Overall, the ED staff's perceptions of an emergency medicine pharmacist were positive. Eighty-six percent of all participants surveyed had consulted the emergency medicine pharmacist at least once in their last 5 shifts. Thirty-one percent answered that being available for consultation was the most important aspect of the emergency medicine pharmacist's role, whereas attending codes (22%) and patient education (20%) were the next most important activities. Providers consulted with the emergency medicine pharmacist most for antibiotic stewardship (including guided empiric therapy and culture callbacks) drug-drug and drug-disease state interactions, and dosing of pediatric medications. Nurses referred to the emergency medicine pharmacist most for compatibility consultations, medication retrieval, and high-risk medication verification.

Conclusion: As was previously found in academic settings, an emergency medicine pharmacist is an invaluable addition to the health care team and can be incorporated into an existing pharmacy staffing model at a small, community hospital.