THE INTERSECTION OF PHARMACY AND RADIOLOGY: ENHANCING PATIENT CARE THROUGH COLLABORATIVE PRACTICE

Abstract

In today’s healthcare environment, it is essential that pharmacy and radiology work together to enhance patient care and improve the efficiency of their respective services in medical imaging. This article seeks to describe the collaborative practice initiatives that pharmacists have engaged in across various imaging departments. Interprofessional care models are designed to improve patient safety and outcomes. As a collaborative model for interprofessional education and practice, consultant pharmacists have been embedded in imaging departments to fill a variety of roles. These roles include pharmacist-involved indication checklist screening for prior authorization as well as patient care services designed to ensure medication safety. Pharmacist-led patient education services have also been established to address specific areas of public health interest. A collaborative pharmacy and radiology service is a model for enhancing patient care and translatable across medical imaging services.

Pharmacy practice and services have advanced in sophistication and complexity, particularly with drug-related devices. These devices interface with medical equipment, information systems, and the hospital formulary. Therefore other disciplines and departments, especially radiology, must partner to better service patients in this area. In addition, as the proportion of imaging patients on complex medication regimens increases, radiologists need the assurance that patient medications and drug compatibility with radiopharmaceuticals and media is safe. Pharmacist-involved patient safety initiatives in the imaging department are a solution. In addition, the time-consuming process of collecting prior authorization documentation that pertains to indications of imaging orders and medications for their indications is an ongoing challenge in the imaging department. Pharmacist-involved indication screening prior authorization is a solution.

It is with this understanding of the increasingly complex interactions between medication and imaging services, patient safety risks associated with medication in the imaging environment, and the inefficiencies of unmanaged prior authorization processes that collaborative opportunities between pharmacy and imaging departments have emerged. Pharmacists possess the clinical knowledge and technical skills to identify patient medication errors, guide improvements in patient safety, and audit compliance with safety measures, while radiologists have the medical expertise and oversight to implement the required changes. Therefore pharmacist involvement in patient safety initiatives as collaborative practice with imaging departments is a logical next step in evolving pharmacy services.