The Role of the Pharmacy Informatics Position in Practice Model Development

Abstract

The Director's Forum series is designed to guide pharmacy leaders in establishing patient-centered services in hospitals and health systems. Health care information systems are becoming more integrated and interoperable and are able to connect with a variety of software and systems. A key position that helps to connect the pharmacy to the organization's information system needs is the Informatics Pharmacist (IP). This position's distinct expertise in systems capabilities and pharmacy operations can support innovations in practice and strong communication throughout the organization. The director of pharmacy can leverage the talents of the IP to enhance the patient-centered services of the pharmacy. Given that most pharmacy departments are small and may not have resources to hire a full-time IP, this article provides the pharmacy director with information about the IP position, which can be used to justify additional resources to focus on pharmacy informatics.

The roles and perspectives of an informatics pharmacist practicing in the Australian healthcare setting: a qualitative study

“…The involvement of informatics pharmacists will accordingly enhance the value of health care, as explained in Theme 5: Impacts. Informatics pharmacists use their expertise to inform clinical decision‐making, ensure safe digital systems and improve patient safety 2,3 . There is emerging evidence for the clinical and economic impact of informatics pharmacists in the United States, where specialist informatics pharmacist roles are well established 2,3 .…”

“…Informatics pharmacists use their expertise to inform clinical decision‐making, ensure safe digital systems and improve patient safety 2,3 . There is emerging evidence for the clinical and economic impact of informatics pharmacists in the United States, where specialist informatics pharmacist roles are well established 2,3 . Funding for designated informatics roles was identified as a key challenge (Theme 6), a finding also identified as a barrier in an Irish study 4 .…”

“…In Australia, informatics pharmacists are not yet part of routine services, despite their existence in other countries 3–6 . This means that the key roles of informatics pharmacists in Australian health care have not yet been fully defined.…”

“…This means that the key roles of informatics pharmacists in Australian health care have not yet been fully defined. While the roles of informatics pharmacists are still emerging, some suggested activities include overseeing the safe and effective use of hospitals' digital systems, particularly those related to medicine management 2,3,7 with multidisciplinary involvement. They can also contribute to the teaching and training of health professionals in handling digitalised healthcare tools 2,3,7 .…”

“…While the roles of informatics pharmacists are still emerging, some suggested activities include overseeing the safe and effective use of hospitals' digital systems, particularly those related to medicine management 2,3,7 with multidisciplinary involvement. They can also contribute to the teaching and training of health professionals in handling digitalised healthcare tools 2,3,7 . Internationally, informatics pharmacists often have additional education and training to ensure a comprehensive understanding of informatics concepts as they pertain to health care 3,5,6,8 …”