Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline in which pharmacists provide the patient care that optimizes medication therapy and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention.
Where do clinical pharmacists work?
A clinical pharmacists work directly with doctors, other health care professionals, and patients to ensure that the medications prescribed for patients contribute to the best possible health outcomes as follows:
With physician
- Clinical pharmacist shall attend ward rounds and clinical meetings as a member of the healthcare team.
- Clinical pharmacist acts as an Auditor on physicians’ prescribing habits
- Clinical pharmacist consults with the patient’s doctors and other health care providers in selecting the medication therapy that best meets the patient’s needs and contributes effectively to the overall therapy goals.
- Clinical pharmacist facilitates physician’s decision making by participating in P&T committee (developing & updating formularies, updating clinical guidelines and conducting Pharmacoeconomic studies)
With Nurses
- Clinical pharmacist provide nursing staff with adequate information about, medications and their therapeutic use, method of administration, potential adverse effects, and different dosage.
With patients
- Clinical Pharmacists provide direct patient care to the greatest extent possible in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
- Clinical Pharmacists are responsible for continuity of care for patients’ medication therapy, Pharmacists and pharmacy departments should take a leadership role in developing and implementing policies and procedures for admissions, discharges, and transfers so that patients’ medication therapy is well managed regardless of patient transitions across care settings.
What do clinical pharmacists do?
As linical pharmacist is a primary source of scientifically valid information and advice on the best use of medications emphasizes that the clinical pharmacist serves as an objective, evidence-based source of therapeutic information and recommendations at three different levels:
Before the prescribing process
- Clinical pharmacists participate in the development of prescribing policies and treatment guidelines, Medication formularies through Pharmacy &therapeutic committee.
- Clinical pharmacists are also actively involved in clinical trials at different levels: participating in ethical committees; study monitoring; dispensation and preparation of investigational Medications.
- Clinical pharmacists provide medication information by effectively searching, retrieving, and evaluating the literature and appropriately communicating and applying the information to health care professionals.
During the prescribing process
- Clinical pharmacists can influence the attitudes and priorities of prescribers in their choice of correct treatments.
- The clinical pharmacist monitors, detects and prevents harmful Medication interaction, adverse Medication reactions ad medication errors through evaluation of prescriptions’ profiles.
- Clinical pharmacists are also actively involved in clinical trials at different levels: participating in ethical committees; study monitoring; dispensation and preparation of investigational Medications.
After the prescribing process
- Preparation of personalized formulation
- Communicating and counseling patients.
- Monitoring treatment response, check and improve patients’ compliance with their medications.
- Medication use evaluation (MUE)
- Outcome research &Pharmacoeconomic studies
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