簡述「2011美國醫院學會急診藥師服務作業指引」

ASHP Guidelines on Emergency Medicine - Pharmacy Services

急診醫學發源於1950年代的美國。至今，意外傷害及外傷的病人，死亡率迅速降低。急診醫學領域的「藥事服務」一詞出現於1970年代。近年來，由於急診醫學重視「預防用藥失誤」，急診藥師（EMP：Emergency Medicine Pharmacist，本文簡稱EMP）的人數遽增。2008年，美國醫院藥師學會（ASHP）發表聲明：藥學部門應針對急診醫學提供藥事服務。聲明文中嘗試明訂EMP的角色、並規範急診醫學中藥事領域的「優良藥事執業」。內文就「EMP服務」，分二層面敘述：必要服務（Essential Service）及滿意服務（Desirable Service）；透過改善病人安全、預防用藥失誤、提供優化藥物療法方案、直接參與病人照護、倡議改善急診醫學品質等方式，EMP可在「改善病人治療結果」方面產生重要影響（the central role of the EMP）。此外，EMP應提供教育訓練給藥學部門、相關醫療人員及病人與病人家屬，並參與急診醫學領域的基礎研究及學術活動。

The formal emergency department (ED) dates back to the 1950s. Since then, the rate of mortality from accidental and traumatic injuries has declined significantly. The first descriptions of pharmacy services provided in the ED appeared in the 1970s. Because of the increased focus on preventing medication errors in the ED, the number of EM pharmacists (EMP) has dramatically increased. In 2008, ASHP published a statement about services that the pharmacy department should provide to the ED. These guidelines were intended to define the role of the EMP, and provide a definition of best practices in the ED. Two levels of EMP services are described in the statement: essential services, and desirable services. The central role of the EMP is to improve patient outcomes through participation in direct patient-care activities and quality improvement initiatives in the ED. In addition to improving patient safety, preventing medication errors, and providing optimized pharmacotherapy regimens and therapeutic outcomes, the EMP can also provide education to members of the pharmacy department and other health care providers, as well as to patients and their caregivers. EMPs may also participate in research and scholarly activities in the ED.