Consensus Recommendations for Clinical Pharmacist Integration into the Acute Stroke Care Team: Endorsed by the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, Neurocritical Care Society, Society for Academic Emergency Medicine, and Society of Critical Care Medicine, and affirmed by the American Academy of Neurology

Clinical pharmacists are increasingly recognized as vital contributors to acute stroke care, yet their role remains inconsistently defined and underutilized across health care systems. This consensus statement explores the expanding presence of clinical pharmacists within interdisciplinary stroke teams, particularly in the management of both acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and hemorrhagic stroke. This consensus statement panel was composed of clinical pharmacists, emergency medicine physicians, and a vascular neurologist. The Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach was used to assess the level of certainty and strength of recommendations. We focused on two questions regarding the clinical pharmacist's role in caring for adult patients presenting to the emergency department (ED) with AIS or hemorrhagic stroke. Despite the very low level of evidence, a consensus was reached for the following recommendations: (1) clinical pharmacist involvement in AIS care for adult patients presenting to the ED and (2) clinical pharmacist involvement in hemorrhagic stroke care for adult patients presenting to the ED. Based on the available literature, we believe optimizing the clinical pharmacist role is a critical factor in improving time-sensitive treatment and equity in care delivery.