Abstract
According to the 2013 National Survey of the Japanese Society of Hospital Pharmacists (JSHP), 30.4% of hospitals reported that pharmacists were involved in perioperative medication management and 16.4% reported that pharmacists were involved in postoperative medication management in the ICU. In addition to medication distribution, useful pharmaceutical perioperative services performed in several facilities included providing drug information for dealing with emergency situations, management of antimicrobial drug use for surgical site infection (SSI), prevention of venous thromboembolism, dealing with postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) and postoperative pain, and assessment of nutrition status. Although few reports of pharmacist activities during operations were found, several incidents and accidents caused by doctors administering medication during operations have been reported, which has made it necessary to seriously consider interventions by pharmacists as an option.
There is a growing need for pharmacists to learn not only about anesthetic agents but to have a general knowledge of surgery including operating methods and amounts of intraoperative blood loss and to be actively involved in selecting and preparing operating medications during emergency situations.
