230px, A hospital pharmacist is checking a liquid solution.
Clinical pharmacy is the branch of
pharmacy in which clinical pharmacists provide direct
patient
A patient is any recipient of health care services that are performed by healthcare professionals. The patient is most often ill or injured and in need of treatment by a physician, nurse, optometrist, dentist, veterinarian, or other hea ...
care that optimizes the use of
medication
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 ...
and promotes
health
Health, according to the World Health Organization, is "a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease and infirmity".World Health Organization. (2006)''Constitution of the World Health Organiza ...
,
wellness, and
disease
A disease is a particular abnormal condition that negatively affects the structure or function of all or part of an organism, and that is not immediately due to any external injury. Diseases are often known to be medical conditions that a ...
prevention
Prevention may refer to:
Health and medicine
* Preventive healthcare, measures to prevent diseases or injuries rather than curing them or treating their symptoms
General safety
* Crime prevention, the attempt to reduce deter crime and crim ...
.
Clinical
pharmacists care for patients in all health care settings but the clinical pharmacy movement initially began inside
hospitals and clinics. Clinical pharmacists often work in collaboration with
physician
A physician (American English), medical practitioner (Commonwealth English), medical doctor, or simply doctor, is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through th ...
s, physician assistants,
nurse practitioner
A nurse practitioner (NP) is an advanced practice registered nurse and a type of mid-level practitioner. NPs are trained to assess patient needs, order and interpret diagnostic and laboratory tests, diagnose disease, formulate and prescribe ...
s, and other
healthcare professional
A health professional, healthcare professional, or healthcare worker (sometimes abbreviated HCW) is a provider of health care treatment and advice based on formal training and experience. The field includes those who work as a nurse, physician (s ...
s.
Clinical pharmacists can enter into a formal
collaborative practice agreement
A collaborative practice agreement (CPA) is a legal document in the United States that establishes a legal relationship between clinical pharmacists and collaborating physicians that allows for pharmacists to participate in collaborative drug t ...
with another healthcare provider, generally one or more physicians, that allows pharmacists to prescribe medications and order laboratory tests.
Education and credentialing
Clinical pharmacists have extensive
education
Education is a purposeful activity directed at achieving certain aims, such as transmitting knowledge or fostering skills and character traits. These aims may include the development of understanding, rationality, kindness, and honesty ...
in the biomedical,
pharmaceutical
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 an ...
, socio-behavioural and clinical sciences. Most clinical pharmacists have a
Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.)
degree and many have completed one or more years of
post-graduate
Postgraduate or graduate education refers to academic or professional degrees, certificates, diplomas, or other qualifications pursued by post-secondary students who have earned an undergraduate ( bachelor's) degree.
The organization and stru ...
training (for example, a general and/or specialty
pharmacy residency
Pharmacy residency is education a pharmacist can pursue beyond the degree required for licensing as a pharmacist (in the United States of America: PharmD). A pharmacy residency program allows for the implementation of skill set and knowledge acqui ...
). In the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...
, clinical pharmacists can choose to become Board-certified through the
Board of Pharmacy Specialties
The Board of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) was established in 1976 and is an independent division of the American Pharmacists Association that grants recognition within the United States to appropriate pharmacy practice specialities and establishes s ...
(BPS), which was organized in 1976 as an independent certification agency of the
American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association (APhA, previously known as the American Pharmaceutical Association), founded in 1852, is the first-established professional society of pharmacists in the United States. The association consists of more th ...
. The BPS certifies pharmacists in the following specialties:
*Ambulatory care pharmacy (BCACP)
*Critical care pharmacy (BCCCP)
*Nuclear pharmacy (BCNP)
*Nutrition support pharmacy (BCNSP)
*Oncology pharmacy (BCOP)
*Pediatric pharmacy (BCPPS)
*Geriatric pharmacy (BCGP)
*Pharmacotherapy (BCPS)
*Infectious disease pharmacy (BCIDP)
*Compounded sterile preparations pharmacy (BCSCP)
*Cardiology pharmacy (BCCP)
*Transplant Pharmacist (BCTXP)
*
Psychiatric pharmacy Psychiatric pharmacy, also known as mental health pharmacy, is the area of clinical pharmacy specializing in the treatment of people with psychiatric illnesses through the use of psychotropic medications. It is a branch of neuropsychiatric pharmac ...
(BCPP)
There are several types of clinical pharmacists in the United States. In California they are called advanced practice pharmacists (APh). In New Mexico, they are known as Pharmacist Clinicians (PhC) and lastly in Montana and North Carolina they are known as Clinical Pharmacist Practitioners (CPP). Clinical pharmacists in the Veteran Administration are known as Clinical Pharmacy Specialists (CPS).
Role in the health care system
Within the system of
health care, clinical pharmacists are
experts in the therapeutic use of medications. They routinely provide medication
therapy
A therapy or medical treatment (often abbreviated tx, Tx, or Tx) is the attempted remediation of a health problem, usually following a medical diagnosis.
As a rule, each therapy has indications and contraindications. There are many different ...
evaluations and recommendations to patients and other health care professionals. Clinical pharmacists are a primary source of scientifically valid
information
Information is an abstract concept that refers to that which has the power to inform. At the most fundamental level information pertains to the interpretation of that which may be sensed. Any natural process that is not completely random ...
and advice regarding the safe, appropriate, and cost-effective use of medications. Clinical pharmacists are also making themselves more readily available to the public. In the past, access to a clinical pharmacist was limited to hospitals, clinics, or educational institutions. However, clinical pharmacists are making themselves available through a medication information hotline, and reviewing medication lists, all in an effort to prevent medication errors in the foreseeable future. In the United Kingdom, clinical pharmacists are routinely involved in the direct care of patients within hospitals, and increasingly, in doctors surgeries. They also develop
post registration professional education, professional curricula for workforce development, provide expertise on the use of medicines to national organizations such as
NICE
Nice ( , ; Niçard dialect, Niçard: , classical norm, or , nonstandard, ; it, Nizza ; lij, Nissa; grc, Νίκαια; la, Nicaea) is the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes departments of France, department in France. The Nice urban unit, agg ...
, the
Department of Health
A health department or health ministry is a part of government which focuses on issues related to the general health of the citizenry. Subnational entities, such as states, counties and cities, often also operate a health department of their ow ...
, and the
MHRA, and develop medicines guidelines for use in therapeutic areas.
Clinical pharmacists interact directly with patients in several different ways. They use their knowledge of medication (including dosage, drug interactions, side effects, expense, effectiveness, etc.) to determine if a medication plan is appropriate for their patient. If it is not, the pharmacist will consult the primary physician to ensure that the patient is on the proper medication plan. The pharmacist also works to educate their patients on the importance of taking and finishing their medications. Studies conducted into Pharmacist-led Chronic Disease Management show that it was associated with effects similar to usual care and might improve physiological goal attainment.
In some states in the USA, clinical pharmacists are given prescriptive authority under protocol with a medical provider, and their scope of practice is constantly evolving. In the United Kingdom clinical pharmacists are given independent prescriptive authority.
Basic components of clinical pharmacy practice include prescribing drugs,
administering drugs, monitoring prescriptions, managing drug use, and counselling patients.
See also
*
History of pharmacy
The history of pharmacy as an independent science dates back to the first third of the 19th century. Before then, pharmacy evolved from antiquity as part of medicine. The history of pharmacy coincides well with the history of medicine, but it's imp ...
*
Hospital pharmacy
A hospital pharmacy is a
department within a hospital that prepares, compounds, stocks and dispenses inpatient medications. Hospital pharmacies usually stock a larger range of medications, including more specialized and investigational medicatio ...
References
Citations
Sources
* https://www.pharmacyregulation.org/education/pharmacist-independent-prescriber
External links
Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy American College of Clinical Pharmacy Board of Pharmacy SpecialtiesJournal of Clinical Pharmacy and TherapeuticsUnited Kingdom Clinical Pharmacy AssociationClinical Pharmacy Education, Practice and Research
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Pharmacy
