ASHP Guidelines on Emergency Medicine Pharmacist Services

Abstract

The American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) published its first Statement on Pharmacy Services to the Emergency Department (ED) in 2008.1 Best practices continue to evolve since then with numerous publications demonstrating that emergency medicine pharmacist (EMP) participation in patient care improves its safety and efficacy. In 2011, ASHP aimed to establish both a consistent approach and ideal practice model for emergency medicine (EM) pharmacy with its publication of the ASHP Guidelines on Emergency Medicine Pharmacist Services,2 developed by the ASHP Section Advisory Group on Emergency Care. A group of EM clinical pharmacy specialist content experts identified by ASHP developed these revised guidelines. The core writers group completed a literature search for updated supporting evidence. A modified Delphi process was then applied to review the recommendations and create a peer consensus in this document. The purpose of these guidelines is to provide a framework reference to guide hospitals, health systems, and, particularly, departments of pharmacy that are planning to initiate, expand, or optimize pharmacy services in the ED. The recommendations in these guidelines represent a consensus of professional judgment, expert opinion, and published evidence. They are written to establish reasonable goals that are progressive and challenging yet attainable as best practices in applicable settings. They do not represent minimum levels of practice, and readers are encouraged to exercise their professional judgment in assessing and adapting these recommendations to meet the specific needs of their healthcare organizations.