Pharmacy practice research, also known as pharmacy research, is a specialty field within the wider area of

health services research Health services research (HSR) became a burgeoning field in North America in the 1960s, when scientific information and policy deliberation began to coalesce. Sometimes also referred to as health systems research or health policy and systems resear ...

, which focuses on examining how and why people access

pharmacy Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure the safe, effective, and affordable use of medicines. It is a miscellaneous science as it links heal ...

services, how much care costs, and what happens to patients as a result of this care. Its aim is to support

evidence-based policy Evidence-based policy is an idea in public policy proposing that policy decisions should be based on, or informed by, rigorously established objective evidence. The implied contrast is with policymaking based on ideology, 'common sense,' anecd ...

and practice decisions where

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

s are employed or

medicines A medication (also called medicament, medicine, pharmaceutical drug, medicinal drug or simply drug) is a drug used to diagnose, cure, treat, or prevent disease. Drug therapy (pharmacotherapy) is an important part of the medical field and rel ...

are prescribed or used.

Goals

The goals of pharmacy practice research are to support the clinical and effective use of

, while ensuring that the risks of

adverse drug reaction An adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a harmful, unintended result caused by taking medication. ADRs may occur following a single dose or prolonged administration of a drug or result from the combination of two or more drugs. The meaning of this term ...

s are minimised. It is generally concerned with the delivery of and equitable access to

pharmaceutical care Pharmaceutical care is the direct, responsible provision of medication-related care for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life. Definition Hepler and Linda Strand's definition is the most well-known ...

and other services delivered by pharmacists and related

health care provider A health care provider is an individual health professional or a health facility organization licensed to provide health care diagnosis and treatment services including medication, surgery and medical devices. Health care providers often receive ...

s. It is undertaken by researchers, often based in universities, from a wide range of health care disciplines. These may include

multidisciplinary Interdisciplinarity or interdisciplinary studies involves the combination of multiple academic disciplines into one activity (e.g., a research project). It draws knowledge from several other fields like sociology, anthropology, psychology, ec ...

groups of pharmacists together with

statistician A statistician is a person who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. It is common to combine statistical knowledge with expertise in other subjects, and statisticians may wor ...

s, physicians, nurses, health psychologists,

social scientists Social science is one of the branches of science, devoted to the study of societies and the relationships among individuals within those societies. The term was formerly used to refer to the field of sociology, the original "science of soc ...

health economists Health economics is a branch of economics concerned with issues related to Health care efficiency, efficiency, effectiveness, value and behavior in the production and consumption of health and healthcare. Health economics is important in d ...

and

epidemiologists Epidemiology is the study and analysis of the distribution (who, when, and where), patterns and determinants of health and disease conditions in a defined population. It is a cornerstone of public health, and shapes policy decisions and evidenc ...

, among others. Areas of pharmacy research may include, for example: *Medicines policy and governance *Quality assurance and safety *Medicine access and rational use *Quality, safety & standards (e.g. vaccines and biologicals).

Approaches

The approaches taken in pharmacy research can be summarised under the broad areas of understanding and describing the way care is accessed and delivered, identifying areas for improvement and evaluating new service models using rigorous research approaches. Pharmacy practice research often challenges traditional

professional boundaries Professional boundaries are an important consideration in the relationship between any professional and their client. Nurse-client boundaries Boundaries are an integral part of the nurse-client relationship. They represent invisible structures i ...

, reflecting the shift in the balance of care currently observed in health care delivery. For example, many conditions that were once primarily managed solely in a hospital setting are now managed in

primary care Primary care is the day-to-day healthcare given by a health care provider. Typically this provider acts as the first contact and principal point of continuing care for patients within a healthcare system, and coordinates other specialist care t ...

settings, and many roles particularly delivered by doctors are now being delivered by other health care professionals including pharmacists. Pharmacy research aims to understand the clinical, humanistic and economic impact of these changes from the perspectives of pharmacists, patients and other health care professionals. Findings from pharmacy practice research have supported

health policy Health policy can be defined as the "decisions, plans, and actions that are undertaken to achieve specific healthcare goals within a society".World Health Organization''Health Policy'' accessed 22 March 2011(Web archive)/ref> According to the ...

changes affecting pharmacy. In some instances they have been the driver for a new service to be delivered through pharmacy, such as smoking cessation or repeat dispensing. In other instances they have provided evidence to underpin a policy change (e.g. pharmacist prescribing) or to evaluate a newly implemented initiative and make recommendations for continuation or change of the service (e.g. new Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework, Medicine Use Reviews, or New Medicines ServiceUK Clinical Research Network
Evaluation of the New Medicine Service
, accessed 12-12-12).

References

{{Reflist

External links

Pharmacy Research UK

Royal Pharmaceutical Society

Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy (RSAP)
pharmacy practice journal
International Journal of Pharmacy Practice (IJPP)
Pharmacy Health care quality

Goals

Approaches

See also

References

External links