Selected infectious disease topics in the ED: Optimizing logistics to optimize care

Purpose: Emergency medicine pharmacists (EMPs) are involved in many clinical decisions made at the bedside in the emergency department (ED). Along with answering clinical questions, pharmacists are often relied on to optimize logistical issues requiring coordination among multiple departments and clinical applications, such as the electronic medical record and automated dispensing cabinets. This article discusses 3 common infectious disease–related issues that pharmacists can assist with to ensure care is optimized during and after a patient’s ED visit. Summary: This article first discusses antibiotic prophylaxis in injuries resulting in an open fracture. An open fracture sustained after a traumatic injury is a common ailment seen in the ED requiring prompt administration of antibiotics to prevent infectious complications. Barriers to timely administration and ways to optimize time to antimicrobial therapy are reviewed. Next, rabies postexposure prophylaxis is discussed, with a focus on appropriate administration of rabies immune globulin and a review of barriers to the attainment of follow-up rabies vaccine doses with suggested ways to optimize the care being delivered. Lastly, the treatment of sexually transmitted infections, specifically Chlamydia trachomatis and Neisseria gonorrhoeae, is discussed with a focus on guideline updates, medication administration logistics, and medication adherence opportunities. Conclusion: EMPs have an excellent understanding of both pharmacy practice and emergency medicine practice. Therefore, they are uniquely positioned to assist with improving workflows involving multiple departments, which ultimately optimizes patient care. While the opportunities are many, this article describes 3 areas within infectious diseases where an EMP can improve logistics and the overall patient experience.