The critical care clinical pharmacist: evolution of an essential team member.

OBJECTIVE

To review the history, training requirements, contributions to patient care outcomes, and workforce issues of critical care pharmacists.

DATA SOURCE AND SELECTION

Literature obtained through Medline search with manual cross-referencing.

DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS

Original and selected review articles and guideline documents were reviewed for references to critical care pharmacists and their role on the multiprofessional critical care team.

CONCLUSIONS

Critical care pharmacists are recognized as essential members of the critical care team as a result of contributions to medication safety, improved patient outcomes, and reduced drug costs and as a source of drug information and provider of education. A growing number of pharmacists practice in critical care. Additional opportunities exist and can be met if an adequate supply of trained specialists can be developed.