Justification of the value of critical care pharmacists: Still a work in progress?
Brian L. Erstad
Abstract
Recently, I was asked to give a talk concerning whether critical care pharmacists still needed to justify their existence. The title for my talk was timely, since the issue was the focus of an editorial written by 2 respected critical care colleagues that I have known for many years.1 In reference to a systematic review demonstrating the impact of specialist critical care pharmacists (SCCPs) as members of multidisciplinary critical care teams, my colleagues recognized the need for more SCCP training and credentialing programs, as well as appropriate accreditations standards and service reimbursement in order to ensure optimal team involvement. While also recognizing that more research is necessary to determine how the frequency and intensity of SCCP involvement influences care, the quintessence of the editorial was capsulized in a single sentence: “The time has come to discard the need for SCCPs to substantiate their value.” The purpose of this commentary is to give my perspective on the need for ongoing justification of the value of SCCPs. This article begins with a discussion of critical care pharmacists’ involvement in patient care, with the remaining discussion focused on critical care pharmacists’ involvement in the categories of teaching/training, scholarship, and external service activities.