CLINICAL PHARMACY

PHARM-1A

• Analyn Bandong
• Benjamin De Guzman
• Amiel Joy Estrada
• Natalia Garay
• Patrick Laluan
• Martha Obiefune
• Pevilyn Ramos
• Alliah Soriano
 Abridged Definition of Clinical
Pharmacy

Clinical pharmacy is defined as

that area of pharmacy
concerned with the science
and practice of rational
medication use.
 Unabridged Definition of Clinical Pharmacy
Clinical pharmacy is a health science discipline in
which pharmacists provide patient care that
optimizes medication therapy and promotes health,
wellness, and disease prevention. The practice of
clinical pharmacy embraces the philosophy of
pharmaceutical care; it blends a caring orientation
with specialized therapeutic knowledge, experience,
and judgment for the purpose of ensuring optimal
patient outcomes. As a discipline, clinical pharmacy
also has an obligation to contribute to the
generation of new knowledge that advances health
and quality of life.
 The Discipline of Clinical Pharmacy
The concept of optimizing therapy and promoting health,
wellness, and disease prevention was felt to be essential in
highlighting the focus on both pharmacologic and non-
pharmacologic strategies for promoting patient health.
As a discipline, clinical pharmacy must be engaged also in
research to contribute to the generation of new knowledge
that advances human health and quality of life.
 The History Of Clinical Pharmacy Health And Social Care

In 1971 articles such as: “The physician’s contribution to hospital medication

errors” and “Medication errors in the seventies” were published.

Since 1971 a lot of other articles can be mentioned on the topic of

medication errors with significant titles in 2006.
Inside Clinical and Hospital Pharmacy

• Clinical and hospital pharmacy deals with the application of drug

treatments to patients in a hospital or clinical setting. Continue
reading to learn more about the field.

• The study of pharmacy involves the effective recommendation

and administration of various medications for the safety and
health of patients. Clinical or hospital pharmacy is a
specialization of this field that includes additional duties such as
aiding doctors in applying drug therapies. Typically, pharmacology
students can choose to specialize in this area during their
residency program.
Hospital pharmacies are pharmacies usually found within the premises of a hospital.
Hospital pharmacies usually stock a larger range of medications, including more
specialized and investigational medications (medicines that are being studied, but have
not yet been approved), than would be feasible in the community setting. Hospital
pharmacies typically provide medications for the hospitalized patients only, and are not
retail establishments and therefore typically do not provide prescription service to the
public. Some hospitals do have retail pharmacies within them (see illustration), which
provide over-the-counter as well as prescription medications to the public, but these
are not the actual hospital pharmacy.
• It has more opportunity to interact closely with the prescriber
and, therefore, to promote the rational prescribing and use of
drugs;
• In larger hospital and institutional pharmacies, is usually one of
several pharmacists, and thus has a greater opportunity to
interact with others, to specialize and to gain greater expertise;
• Having access to medical records, is in a position to influence
the selection of drugs and dosage regimens, to monitor patient
compliance and therapeutic response to drugs, and to recognize
and report adverse drug reactions;
• It takes part in the planning and implementation of clinical
trials.
• It serves as a member of policy-making committees, including
those concerned with drug selection, the use of antibiotics, and
hospital infections (Drug and Therapeutics Committee) and thereby
influences the preparation and composition of an essential-drug list
or formulary;
• It is in a better position to educate other health professionals
about the rational use of drugs;
• More easily participates in studies to determine the beneficial or
adverse effects of drugs, and is involved in the analysis of drugs in
body fluids;
• It can control hospital manufacture and procurement of drugs to
ensure the supply of high-quality products;
• Clinical pharmacists work directly with physicians, other
health professionals, and patients to ensure that the
medications prescribed for patients contribute to the best
possible health outcomes.
• Clinical pharmacists practice in health care settings
where they have frequent and regular interactions with
physicians and other health professionals, contributing to
better coordination of care.
• Clinical pharmacists are educated and trained in many direct
patient care environments, including medical centers, clinics,
and a variety of other health care settings.
• Clinical pharmacists are frequently granted patient care
privileges by collaborating physicians and/or health systems
that allow them to perform a full range of medication
decision-making functions as part of the patient’s health care
team.
 What do clinical pharmacists do?

•Assess the status of the patient’s health problems and determine whether the
prescribed medications are optimally meeting the patient’s needs and goals of care.
•Evaluate the appropriateness and effectiveness of the patient’s medications.
•Recognize untreated health problems that could be improved or resolved with
appropriate medication therapy.
•Follow the patient’s progress to determine the effects of the patient’s medications on
his or her health.
•Consult with the patient’s physicians 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.
•Advise the patient on how to best take his or her medications.
•Support the health care team’s efforts to educate the patient on other important steps
to improve or maintain health, such as exercise, diet, and preventive steps like
immunization.
•Refer the patient to his or her physician or other health professionals to address
specific health, wellness, or social services concerns as they arise.
How do you find a clinical pharmacist?

Clinical pharmacists practice in many health care environments, including

hospitals and their affiliated outpatient clinics, emergency departments,
community pharmacies, physicians’ offices, community-based clinics, nursing
homes, and managed care organizations.
“Clinical pharmacists care for patients in all
health care settings”