Dosing was correct 95% of the time when a pharmacist was present versus 74% when not.
It is now common for a pharmacist to be stationed in the emergency department (ED). Investigators retrospectively assessed the frequency of dosing errors for antibiotics requiring renal or weight adjustment (cefazolin, cefepime, ciprofloxacin, piperacillin-tazobactam, vancomycin) according to whether or not a pharmacist was present in the ED.
The analysis included a random sample of 210 adult patients for whom these antibiotics were ordered at a level 1 trauma center ED during a 7-month period. A pharmacist was present in the ED except during the hours of 01:31 to 10:59. Dosing was correct 95% of the time when a pharmacist was present versus 74% when a pharmacist was not present (odds ratio, 6.9).
Reviewing Author
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals
DisclosuresConsultant/Advisory BoardPortola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.
Speaker’s BureauPeerView Institute for Medical Education
Grant/Research SupportAgency for Healthcare Research and Quality; CDC; NIH–National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences; NIH–National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID); NIH–NIAID–Antibacterial Resistance Leadership Group; Merck; Pfizer; Boehringer-Ingelheim; Shire; Portola Pharmaceuticals, Inc.; Novartis; bioMérieux; Siemens; Rapid Pathogen Screening; Magnolia; Stago; Innovative Biosensors; Molecular Detection, Inc.; Dyax Corp.; Trius Pharmaceuticals