Pharmacy technology of the ICU. Today and tomorrow

This article takes a broad sweep at some of the forces that will impact pharmacy in the intensive care units of tomorrow. Each of the topics covered has journals or societies devoted to these issues. The incredible change from 10 years ago is that one can easily put these topics into a search engine on the Internet and receive more information than it is possible to read in one setting. The challenge to us all is to find ways to maintain a degree of knowledge about these changes that is both timely and considered. The old axiom of not being the first or the last to change is still a safe approach, but the speed at which the decision must be made is ever increasing. We must all put pressure on our professional societies and our employers to assure that we have adequate access to the rapidly developing technology and a level of expert review prior to its adoption. Future technology is already in our intensive care units but what we do with the technology and the information will determine the future healthcare outcomes of our patients.