Advanced Pharmacy Australia (AdPha) has released the newly updated pharmacy practice standard for emergency medicine to support best practice for pharmacists working in Australia’s busy emergency departments.
Emergency departments (EDs) are a vital part of Australia’s healthcare system, providing care 24 hours a day, seven days a week. In 2023–24, Australian public hospital EDs recorded 9 million presentations; however, patients are spending longer waiting for care.
Increasing demand and overcrowding have contributed to ‘access block’, placing significant pressure on patients and healthcare teams and making timely, safe and effective care more challenging.
Against this backdrop, the Standards have been expanded to include new sections and key updates covering:
• best practice principles for emergency medicine clinical pharmacy services
• psychological safety for the pharmacy workforce
• recommended staffing levels
• guidance on how pharmacists can prioritise patients in emergency departments
• person-centred care
• emerging services, including the role of the pharmacy technician.
The updated Standards were developed through AdPha and AdPha’s Emergency Medicine Standards Working Group, led by Adjunct Associate Professor Cristina Roman, immediate past Chair of the AdPha Emergency Medicine Leadership Committee.
Adjunct Associate Professor Roman said emergency departments are one of the most vital parts of Australia’s healthcare system and require interprofessional teams to be supported to deliver high-quality care under significant pressure.
“Emergency departments provide care around the clock to people at some of the most critical and uncertain moments in their lives.
“But we know our EDs are stretched to keep step with rising patient demand, and pharmacists can play an integral role in improving efficiency and quality of care as well as minimising length of stay and hospital readmissions.
“These updated Standards recognise the unique environment in which emergency medicine pharmacists work and provide practical guidance to support pharmacy teams to deliver safe, effective and person-centred care as part of the broader emergency care team.”
AdPha President Assoc. Prof Tom Simpson FANZCAP (Lead&Mgmt) said medicines-related problems are common among people presenting to emergency departments, making the role of emergency medicine pharmacists critical to patient safety and timely care.
“Medicines-related problems occur in up to half of patients presenting to emergency departments, making medicines expertise an essential part of safe emergency care.
“Emergency medicine pharmacists can reduce medicines errors through pharmacist-led medicines history taking, identification of medicines-related problems and, where supported by the practice setting, pharmacist prescribing as part of a team-based model of care.
“Their involvement is pivotal in time-critical conditions. Emergency medicine pharmacists can help reduce the time to medicines charting and administration, including antibiotics for pneumonia, sepsis and septic shock, thrombolysis for acute ischaemic stroke, and sedation and analgesia for patients with major trauma.
“Importantly, medicines reviews undertaken by emergency medicine pharmacists can also help reduce hospital admissions. These Standards provide a contemporary framework to support pharmacists and pharmacy teams to deliver this valuable contribution to emergency care.”
The AdPha Emergency Medicine Standards are now available in JPPR via Early View, free – as always – for AdPha members.
