The Emergency Pharmacist Research Center
This research is supported by The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Partnerships in Patient Safety, Grant no. 1 U18 HS015818
Publicity

Quote! " I will never forget being in the scanner with an intubated pediatric trauma, running around trying to keep the patient properly sedated and cared for when Dan Hays walks into the scanner with an infusion pump on a portable IV pole. 2 channels were attached, both programmed with my sedation meds, meds hung, tubing primed, and all I had to do was hook it up to the patient and press "Start." No med calculations, no worries about properly diluting, no worries about compatibilities, no worries at all! That is a feeling that I am sure many nurses have felt when Dan was on their shift. Thanks Dan for all that you do, and thanks for making my job (especially that day) so much more enjoyable!"

- Kathryn Augustino, RN, URMC Pediatric Emergency Department

Emergency Pharmacist programs have received an increased amount of attention because of the recent national focus on patient safety and the need to reduce preventable adverse events. One of the goals of the Emergency Pharmacist (EPh) Research Center is to increase awareness of the value of the EPh among emergency nurses, emergency physicians, emergency department leaders, clinical pharmacist leaders, health system leaders, and hospital administrators.

new!! Dr. Fairbanks was featured in an ASHP TV network interview during the ASHP Midear Meeting. To see the interview, click on "Human Factors Engineering and Medication Safety" in the Wednesday group:  [link to interviews]

 

Emergency Medicine News article appears in the August 2008 issue and describes Emergency Pharmacy programs, our research, and the work at hospitals involved in the ASHP PCIP program, such as Licking Memorial. [download 616kb pdf]

 

Emergency Pharmacist programs and our research were featured in the May/June 2008 edition of  American Journal of Medical Quality, in an article written by Carolyn Clancy, MD, Director of AHRQ. (Also see related press releases from ASHP  and AHRQ).

 

Medical News Today article describes an article appearing in the March issue of the Journal of Patient Safety by the Director of AHRQ, Dr. Carolyn Clancy, entitled Forging a New Path to Medication Safety With Emergency Pharmacists.

 

Pharmacy Practice News January 2008 edition provides an excellent overview of the ASHP December presentation by Dr. Fairbanks summarizing the results of the study. [download pdf]

 

ASHP has announced the 2008 Patient Care Impact Program will include an Emergency Pharmacist Mentorship Program.  Dr. Hays and Dr. Fairbanks will be mentors for this program. Please see our PCIP page for further information. 

 

Our Emergency Pharmacist program is featured as a case study (p. 60-62) on preventing medication errors in the new Joint Commission Resources book, Safer Emergency Care: Strategies and Solutions (2007).

 

Democrat and Chronicle Newspaper Article (Rochester, NY 10/16/07) features the emergency physician and nursing reaction to the role of an emergency pharmacist, and discusses cost savings and other advantages. [download pdf 106 kb]

 

Dr. Carolyn Clancy, AHRQ Director, discusses our EPh program and research in an October 2007 Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare editorial entitled "Emergency Pharmacists: A New Road to Medication Safety." [link to article]
 

An interview with Dr. Fairbanks about the Emergency Pharmacist program and ASHP's mentorship program was the lead story on AHRQ's podcast program "Healthcare 411" for the week of September 5, 2007. Click here to link to the program or to download the transcript.

 

Dr. Carolyn Clancy, AHRQ Director, discusses our research in a July 2007 Patient Safety and Quality Healthcare Feature Article entitled "Practical Approaches to Improving Safety in the Emergency Department Environment." [link to article]
 

National Patient Safety Foundation and AHRQ featured the Emergency Pharmacist Research Project at a "Meet the Experts" series at the 2007 NPSF Patient Safety Congress. Investigators from the AHRQ Partnerships in Patient Safety award program were available to describe resources in their area. Project PI Dr. Fairbanks and Emergency Pharmacist Dr. Hays were available along with University of Rochester Medical Center Chief Quality Officer Dr. Robert Panzer, and ASHP Foundation Research Director (and project advisor) Dr. Daniel Cobaugh, were all available at the session to answer questions.

Our project is featured in a January 2007 Medscape article "Promoting Safe Medication Use in the ED" written by Jill M. Strykowski, MSc, RPh of Mercy & Unity Hospital.

Journal Article by Lada and Delgado appearing in the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy which describes potential cost avoidance due to emergency pharmacist activity.

University of Rochester lead EPh Dan Hays is quoted in a front page article "Pharmacists Fill New Roles In ERs"  in the Pasadena Star-News (CA) featuring Jill Hara, PharmD, Emergency Pharmacist at Huntington Hospital in Pasadena CA (January 7, 2007).
[bonus-download actual newspaper (1.5MB)]

Journal Article appearing in the journal Emergency Medicine Australasia which describes an EPh based educational initiative

Another article describing the EPh role in Britian appearing in The Pharmaceutical Journal

Article appearing in "The Independent" describing an EPh program in Britain (Aug 2006)

Seminar on the Emergency Pharmacist role given by the University of Washington  September 2006

Conference presentation by George Delgado, Jr., Pharm.D., Coordinator of Emergency Pharmacy Services at Detroit Receiving Hospital

American Jouranl of Health-System Pharmacists Article featuring the Dan Hays and the University of Rochester/AHRQ project

ED Nursing Article which features the University of Rochester program and describes cost savings and adverse event reduction

ASHP Foundation News release describing Dr. Cobaugh's role in the University of Rochester's AHRQ grant to study the effect of the EPh.

Press Release describing the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Best Practices Award which recongized the University of Rochester EPh effect on trauma resuscitations.