(1083) A National Survey of Trends in Critical Care Pharmacy Precepting Tools

Introduction: Critical care pharmacists must prepare pharmacy learners to care for medically complex patients. Numerous learning tools and precepting practices exist; however, the optimal approach to prepare learners for intensive care unit (ICU) rotations remains poorly defined. A survey was designed to describe current orientation and onboarding practices in the ICU environment, perceived benefit of mnemonic devices, and learner expectations in the ICU.

Methods: The survey was validated and distributed to 1549 eligible critical care pharmacists. It collected demographic information, ICU rotation orientation practices, perceptions of commonly utilized mnemonic devices, and desired learner interventions in the ICU. Descriptive statistics were utilized to describe categorical variables.

Results: Survey responses were recorded from 118 critical care pharmacists. Thirty-nine percent of respondents do not assign any pre-rotation assignments and those that do rely largely on assigned readings, including journal articles (40%) and guidelines (40%). In contrast, preceptors utilize predominantly hands-on activities to orient pharmacy learners to the ICU once the rotation has started, including introducing the patient workup processes (92%), directly observing patient care rounds (89%), and topic discussions (81%). Mnemonics were utilized by 76% of respondents, with FASTHUG-BID being the most commonly utilized (59%). However, the majority (94%) agree that mnemonic devices are missing key areas for pharmacy specific interventions. Common expectations for learner interventions in the ICU include: drug dose optimization (90%), prophylactic management (83%), and pharmacokinetic consults (83%).

Conclusions: Critical care preceptors utilize a variety of approaches to orient learners to the ICU but rely heavily on hands-on experiences. The majority agree that currently available mnemonics are useful tools, but do not direct students to all pertinent areas for intervention. Preceptors typically take a multifaceted approach to prepare learners to succeed in the ICU environment.