Consensus recommendations for the integration of critical care pharmacists on intensive care unit teams: Endorsed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Institute for Safe Medication Practices, and Society of Critical Care Medicine

Andrea Sikora; Brian Murray; Kelli Henry; Susan E Smith; Mitchell S Buckley; Robert Campbell; Deepali Dixit; Amy L Dzierba; Curtis E Haas; Mojdeh S Heavner; Jason J Heavner; Michael F Iademarco; Rita Jew; Peter N Johnson; Sandra Kane-Gill; Greg S Martin; Nicole Palm; Brent N Reed; Maureen A Seckel; Aaron Steffenhagen; Zachary Smith

doi:10.1002/jac5.70084

Consensus recommendations for the integration of critical care pharmacists on intensive care unit teams: Endorsed by the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Institute for Safe Medication Practices, and Society of Critical Care Medicine

J Am Coll Clin Pharm. 2025 Sep;8(9):914-930. doi: 10.1002/jac5.70084. Epub 2025 Aug 4.

Authors

Andrea Sikora^{1

2}, Brian Murray³, Kelli Henry⁴, Susan E Smith⁵, Mitchell S Buckley⁶, Robert Campbell⁷, Deepali Dixit⁸, Amy L Dzierba⁹, Curtis E Haas¹⁰, Mojdeh S Heavner¹¹, Jason J Heavner¹², Michael F Iademarco¹³, Rita Jew¹⁴, Peter N Johnson¹⁵, Sandra Kane-Gill¹⁶, Greg S Martin¹⁷, Nicole Palm¹⁸, Brent N Reed¹⁹, Maureen A Seckel²⁰, Aaron Steffenhagen²¹, Zachary Smith²²

Affiliations

¹ University of Colorado Skaggs School of Medicine, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
² Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy, University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, Augusta, Georgia, USA.
³ University of Colorado Skaggs Schools of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, Aurora, Colorado, USA.
⁴ Department of Pharmacy, Wellstar MCG Health, Augusta, Georgia, USA.
⁵ Department of Clinical and Administrative Pharmacy, University of Georgia College of Pharmacy, Athens, Georgia, USA.
⁶ Buckley Group Enterprises, LLC, Phoenix, Arizona, USA.
⁷ Medication Management, The Joint Commission, Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois, USA.
⁸ Ernest Mario School of Pharmacy Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Piscataway, New Jersey, USA.
⁹ Department of Medicine, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, New York, USA.
¹⁰ Department of Pharmacy, University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York, USA.
¹¹ Department of Practice, Sciences, and Health Outcomes Research, University of Maryland School of Pharmacy, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
¹² University of Maryland Baltimore Washington Medical Center, Glen Burnie, Maryland, USA.
¹³ U.S. Public Health Service (Retired), Washington, DC, USA.
¹⁴ Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Plymouth Meeting, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁵ Department of Pharmacy, Clinical and Administrative Sciences, University of Oklahoma College of Pharmacy, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, USA.
¹⁶ Department of Pharmacy and Therapeutics, School of Pharmacy, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.
¹⁷ Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, Critical Care, and Sleep Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Grady Memorial Hospital, Atlanta, Georgia, USA.
¹⁸ Department of Pharmacy, Cleveland Clinic, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
¹⁹ Organizational Science Program, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, Charlotte, North Carolina, USA.
²⁰ Critical Care and Sepsis/MSeckel Education and Consulting, Newark, Deleware, USA.
²¹ Department of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin UWHealth, Madison, Wisconsin, USA.
²² Department of Pharmacy, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Michigan, USA.

Abstract

The care of critically ill patients requires an interprofessional team. Critical care pharmacists are essential members of that interprofessional team. The purpose of these Consensus Recommendations is to present standards and guidance for individual pharmacists, institutions, and standard-setting bodies regarding best practices for the team integration of critical care pharmacists. Twenty one individuals were invited to serve on an interprofessional expert panel. A modified Delphi approach was used to structure the consensus process for generating the consensus recommendation statements. A total of 10 consensus recommendation statements were developed along with implementation guidance, process and outcome metrics, and a future agenda for research and advocacy.

Keywords: critical care; pharmacist; pharmacy; quality; safety.

Abstract

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