What is the role of emergency pharmacists and how can they address the issue of medical errors?
Dr. Fairbanks: Well, emergency departments are a unique environment in that they’re busy, often high-stress area that can be high risk for medication related adverse events because of some external forces. For example, providers are often multi-tasking and medications are often ordered verbal in urgent situations, and then they’re dispensed and administered on-site meaning that they don’t go down to the hospital pharmacy and get a routine review for safety by pharmacists. In stead the doctor says to a nurse, can you get this medication? The nurse goes and gets it, dispenses it and gives the medication him or herself. So, there’s a lacking of a safety check that often occurs in other areas in the hospitals. And providers are often dealing with unfamiliar patients, and unfortunately even in today’s technological world, often do not have access to the patient’s medical records or their medication lists. So therefore, the patient’s medical information, including current medications or thei
