Impact of clinical pharmacist involvement on emergency department physicians' work-time distribution: a comparative analysis

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) provide urgent care to diverse patients. Medication-related tasks, crucial for safe diagnosis and treatment, often receive inadequate attention. Clinical pharmacists, experts in medication management, can improve outcomes and reduce costs.Objectives: To investigate how the introduction of clinical pharmacists affects ED junior physicians' work-time distribution, with particular focus on medication-related tasks.Design: A stepped-wedge design was employed, introducing pharmacists across three Norwegian EDs over a 9-month period, with each ED starting at staggered intervals.Methods: Using the Work ObservationMethod By Activity Timing (WOMBAT) methodology, we observed junior physicians' activities in three EDs. The pharmacists were encouraged to adapt to the ED setting, integrate into the team, and identify ways to apply their expertise effectively. Medication reconciliation became their primary focus. We recorded 251 h of observation in the period without pharmacists present and 287 h in the intervention period, with pharmacists present. The proportion of time spent on different tasks was compared between the two periods.Results: Junior physicians spent 81.0% of their work time on non-medication-related tasks, 11.6% on standby/movement, and 8.7% on medication-related tasks. There was no evidence that the overall time distribution was affected by the intervention. However, in ED2, the proportion of time spent on medication-related documentation was reduced from 6.1% to 2.5%, while standby time increased from 6.1% to 13% with pharmacists present. Face-to-face interactions with pharmacists accounted for less than 2% of the junior physicians' work time in all EDs.Conclusion: In three Norwegian EDs, junior physicians' work time was predominantly spent on non-medication-related tasks, with only 8.7% dedicated to medication-related tasks. The introduction of clinical pharmacists did not significantly impact junior physicians' overall work-time distribution. Further research should investigate pharmacists' impact on ED care quality and efficiency.