Faine, Brett A

ABSTRACT Clinical pharmacists are increasingly recognized as vital contributors to acute stroke care, yet their role remains inconsistently defined and underutilized across health care systems. This consensus statement explores the expanding presence of clinical pharmacists within interdisciplinary stroke teams, particularly in the management of both acute ischemic stroke ( AIS ) and hemorrhagic stroke. This consensus statement panel was composed of clinical pharmacists, emergency medicine physicians, and a vascular neurologist. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation ( GRADE ) approach was used to assess the level of certainty and strength of recommendations. We focused on two questions regarding the clinical pharmacist's role in caring for adult patients presenting to the emergency department ( ED ) with AIS or hemorrhagic stroke. Despite the very low level of evidence, a consensus was reached for the following recommendations: (1) clinical pharmacist involvement in AIS care for adult patients presenting to the ED and (2) clinical pharmacist involvement in hemorrhagic stroke care for adult patients presenting to the ED . Based on the available literature, we believe optimizing the clinical pharmacist role is a critical factor in improving time‐sensitive treatment and equity in care delivery.

ABSTRACT Background Intracranial and extracranial hemorrhages are significant causes of morbidity and mortality. Emergency medicine pharmacists (EMPs) can play a crucial role in anticoagulation reversal by identifying patients on anticoagulation, selecting the optimal anticoagulation reversal agent, and ensuring adequate dosing and prompt administration. The goal of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to determine the impact EMPs have on time to anticoagulation reversal and patient outcomes in anticoagulation‐associated hemorrhages. Methods A medical librarian performed a literature search in EBSCO CINAHL, Ovid Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Ovid Embase, Ovid Medline, Scopus, and Web of Science Core Collection from inception to January 2025 for all types of oral anticoagulants and for life‐threatening bleeding that required emergent reversal. Newcastle‐Ottawa was used to assess the risk of bias, and Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) was used to assess the level of certainty of the evidence. Random effects models estimating mean differences and 95% confidence intervals are reported. Results There were 2445 titles and abstracts screened, with 44 undergoing full‐text evaluation. Six observational studies including 219 patients who received an anticoagulation reversal agent with the presence of an EMP and 198 patients who received a reversal agent without an EMP were included. Time from emergency department (ED) presentation to anticoagulation reversal agent administration (75.60 min, 95% confidence interval [CI]: −101.7 to −49.5) and time from medication order to administration were faster with an EMP (−18.7 min, 95% CI: −23.5 to −14.0). There was no difference in short‐term mortality. The included studies had a high risk of bias and were deemed very low quality of evidence. Conclusion EMP involvement in patient care during anticoagulation reversal of acute hemorrhages improved time to anticoagulation reversal agent administration. Larger scale, higher‐quality studies are necessary to assess the value of EMPs in improving patient‐centered outcomes.

Abstract Purpose Sepsis disproportionately affects patients in rural and socially vulnerable communities. A promising strategy to address this disparity is provider‐to‐provider emergency department (ED)‐based telehealth consultation (tele‐ED). The objective of this study was to determine if county‐level social vulnerability index (SVI) was associated with tele‐ED use for sepsis and, if so, which SVI elements were most strongly associated. Methods We used data from the TELEmedicine as a Virtual Intervention for Sepsis in Rural Emergency Department study. The primary exposures were SVI aggregate and component scores. We used multivariable generalized estimating equations to model the association between SVI and tele‐ED use. Findings Our study cohort included 1191 patients treated in 23 Midwestern rural EDs between August 2016 and June 2019, of whom 326 (27.4%) were treated with tele‐ED. Providers in counties with a high SVI were less likely to use tele‐ED (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.51, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.31‒0.87), an effect principally attributable to the housing type and transportation component of SVI (aOR = 0.44, 95% CI 0.22–0.89). Providers who treated fewer sepsis patients (1‒10 vs. 31+ over study period) and therefore may have been less experienced in sepsis care, were more likely to activate tele‐ED (aOR = 3.91, 95% CI 2.08‒7.38). Conclusions Tele‐ED use for sepsis was lower in socially vulnerable counties and higher among providers who treated fewer sepsis patients. These findings suggest that while tele‐ED increases access to specialized care, it may not completely ameliorate sepsis disparities due to its less frequent use in socially vulnerable communities.

Abstract Background Urinary tract infections (UTIs) are commonly treated in the emergency department (ED), and unfortunately, resistance to first-line agents is increasing. Objectives To characterize treatment of pyelonephritis in a nationally representative sample of ED patients and to identify patient- and treatment-specific factors associated with receiving initial inactive antibiotics. Methods We conducted a multicentre, observational cohort study utilizing the Emergency Medicine PHARMacotherapy Research NETwork (EMPHARM-NET), comprising 15 geographically diverse US EDs. All patients ≥18 years of age with a diagnosis of pyelonephritis between 2018 and 2020 were included. The primary endpoint was the proportion of patients who received initial inactive empirical antibiotic therapy and to identify predictive factors of inactive antibiotic therapy. Results Of the 3714 patients evaluated, 223 had culture-positive pyelonephritis. Median patient age was 50.1 years and patients were mostly female (78.3%). Overall, 40.4% of patients received an IV antibiotic, most commonly ceftriaxone (86.7%). The most frequently prescribed antibiotics were cefalexin (31.8%), ciprofloxacin (14.3%), cefdinir (13.5%) and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole (12.6%). Overall, 10.3% of patients received initial inactive therapy. After adjustment in a multivariable analysis, long-acting IV antibiotic was predictive of inactive therapy (OR 0.23, 95% CI 0.07–0.83). Conclusions In our prospective, multicentre observational study, we found that only 40.4% of patients with pyelonephritis received empirical IV antibiotics in the ED, contributing to inactive therapy. Receipt of long-acting IV antibiotics was independently associated with a decreased rate of initial inactive therapy. This reinforces guideline recommendations to administer long-acting IV antibiotics empirically in the ED upon suspicion of pyelonephritis.

AbstractBackgroundUropathogen resistance, fluoroquinolone‐resistance (FQR), and extended spectrum beta‐lactamase (ESBL), has been observed to be emerging worldwide with prevalences above recommended thresholds for routine empirical treatment. The primary aim of our study was to determine the prevalence of FQR from a geographically diverse sample of United States emergency departments (EDs).MethodsWe conducted a multi‐center, observational cohort study using a network of 15 geographically diverse US EDs. All patients ≥18 years of age with the primary or secondary diagnosis of urinary tract infection (UTI) in the ED identified using International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐10) diagnosis code of cystitis, pyelonephritis, or UTI from 2018 to 2020 were included. We calculated descriptive statistics for uropathogens and susceptibilities. Logistic regression analysis was used to identify antimicrobial resistance risk factors associated with FQR Escherichia coli.ResultsAmong 3779 patients who met inclusion criteria, median age was 62.9 years (interquartile range [IQR]: 41–77.6) and 76.3% were female. The most common diagnoses were complicated (41.2%) and uncomplicated cystitis (40.3%). E. coli was the most common pathogen (63.2%), followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae (13.2%) and Enterococcus species (5.8%). Across all sites, overall E. coli FQ‐resistance prevalence was 22.1%, ranging from 10.5 to 29.7% by site. The prevalence of ESBL‐producing uropathogen was 7.4%, ranging from 3.6% to 11.6% by site. Previous IV or oral antimicrobial use in the past 90‐days and history of a multi‐drug resistant pathogen were associated with FQ‐resistant E. coli (odds ratio [OR] 2.68, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.04–3.51, and OR 6.93, 95% CI: 4.95–9.70, respectively). Of the patients who had FQ‐resistant E. coli or an ESBL‐producing uropathogen isolated, 116 (37.1%) and 61 (36.7%) did not have any documented risk factors for resistance.ConclusionFQ‐resistant E. coli is widely prevalent across US sites highlighting the need for ongoing monitoring of antimicrobial resistance and, at some locations, modification of empirical treatments.