Every day, infectious diseases clinicians pick up the phone, send a secure message, or stop a colleague in the hallway to ask an infectious diseases pharmacist a quick question. These “curbside” consults shape patient care constantly, but until recently, almost no one had measured them.
Earlier this year, Matt Davis, PharmD, Director of ID Pharmacy and Antimicrobial Stewardship at Infectious Disease Connect, served as lead author of a multicenter study published in Clinical Infectious Diseases, “You’ve Got a Friend in Me: Curbside Questions Infectious Diseases Clinicians Ask Infectious Diseases Pharmacists.”
This month, the Infectious Diseases Society of America highlighted the work on its Science Speaks blog. The authors of that post, an ID pharmacist and ID physician who practice together, noted how rarely the literature has captured the partnership between their two disciplines.
What the Study Found
Ten ID residency-trained clinical pharmacy specialists at academic medical centers and community hospitals across the country documented every question they received from ID clinicians over six months.
The results:
- The pharmacists fielded 1,518 curbside questions, most often about regimen optimization, dosing, safety and monitoring, and antimicrobial resistance.
- 89% of questions led to changes in patient management based on the pharmacist’s recommendation, and more than a quarter resulted in major changes.
- Answering these questions took roughly 287 hours of pharmacist time, work that often goes undocumented.
Why It Matters
The partnership between ID clinicians and ID pharmacists shapes patient care. Clinicians accepted pharmacists’ recommendations at higher rates than are typically seen in antimicrobial stewardship programs, which the authors credit to the trust between the two disciplines.
That partnership isn’t limited by distance. The pharmacists in the study worked on site, fully remote, or in hybrid roles, and Davis himself supports more than 15 telehealth ID consult services. As the authors put it, ID pharmacist expertise should not be “a luxury reserved for well-resourced” academic medical centers. Community hospitals need it too, and not every hospital can staff a dedicated ID pharmacist on site.
PharmD, Director of ID Pharmacy and Antimicrobial Stewardship
ID Connect
“Curbside questions are some of the most meaningful work ID pharmacists do, but they rarely show up in any metric,” said Davis. “The data confirmed what ID pharmacists see day to day: hospitals rely heavily on this expertise. Patients everywhere deserve access to it, and telehealth makes that possible.“
Ready to Strengthen Your ID Patient Care?
At ID Connect, our academic ID physicians and ID pharmacists work as a team, so patients receive expert care wherever they’re treated. Contact us today to learn how ID Connect can improve your hospital’s quality and continuum of care.
You might also like…
How Long Can Your Hospital Afford to Wait for Infectious Diseases Coverage?
ID Connect Named to Becker’s Health IT “Telehealth Companies to Know” List for the Third Year in a Row
Infectious Disease Connect Strengthens Clinical, Operational, and Growth Leadership Amid Continued Expansion