We have pharmacists in all of our emergency departments for all except a few hours overnight. We currently verify all ED medication orders prior to administration (with the exception of true emergencies such as codes). We do not generally have problems with turnaround times and typically verify all orders within 5 minutes.

One of our pharmacy leaders is proposing moving away from verifying all orders and using auto-verify in the ED. I know this is done at many hospitals that DON'T have ED pharmacists but I'm curious about facilities that DO have ED pharmacists and have chosen NOT to verify medication orders in the ED. If you've done this, what was your rationale and what has been the impact of that decision?

Thanks,
Cortney Swiggart, PharmD
Medication Safety Officer