Nurses and Pharmaceutical Care: Interprofessional, Evidence-Based Working to Improve Patient Care and Outcomes

Abstract

Pharmaceutical care necessitates significant efforts from patients, informal caregivers, the interprofessional team of health care professionals and health care system administrators. Collaboration, mutual respect and agreement amongst all stakeholders regarding responsibilities throughout the complex process of pharmaceutical care is needed before patients can take full advantage of modern medicine. Based on the literature and policy documents, in this position paper, we reflect on opportunities for integrated evidence-based pharmaceutical care to improve care quality and patient outcomes from a nursing perspective. Despite the consensus that interprofessional collaboration is essential, in clinical practice, research, education and policy-making challenges are often not addressed interprofessionally. This paper concludes with specific advises to move towards the implementation of more interprofessional, evidence-based pharmaceutical care.

Mental Health Nurses’ Perceptions of Providing Pharmaceutical Care in Saudi Arabia

“…Participants felt that therapeutic collaboration between caring professionals, including interprofessional and multi-disciplinary teams needs to be strengthened. Safety during transition of patients between types of care including discharge planning and follow-up were areas of special concern which they felt demanded structured interaction and cooperation between the sectors of the healthcare team (De Baetselier et al, 2022;Dilles et al, 2021;Mardani et al, 2020;Setter et al, 2012).…”

“…Profession caring aspects of PC enumerated in that resolution included holistic assessment of patient status and characteristics, identification of medication-related problems, formulation of a client care plan, implementation and monitoring of care, and follow-up on the patient's status (De Baetselier et al, 2020). Dilles et al (2021) enumerated the scope of nurse PC as the monitoring of client responses to and compliance with medication, prescription and administration of medicines, and provision of patient education and information during clinical practice. The mandated ability to perform these functions varies across Council of Europe member states.…”

“…Mental health delivery systems in various locales worldwide continue to engage in planning ways to identify, train, and ensure good nursing practices related to pharmaceutical care (Dilles et al, 2021). Patient failure to benefit from medications prescribed during treatment is an ongoing problem in healthcare (Haynes et al, 2002; Osterberg et al, 2005).…”

Views, experiences and contributory factors related to medication errors associated with direct oral anticoagulants: a qualitative study with physicians and nurses

“…Medication safety programmes have been introduced in many hospitals to minimize the likelihood of harm associated with the use of medication, and maximize the benefits for patients [ 28 ]. Adopting facets like medication safety policy, multidisciplinary team policy, double checking policy as well as adopting electronic prescribing system are common safety practices activated in hospitals [ 29 ].…”

Effective Clinical Pathway Improves Interprofessional Collaboration and Reduces Antibiotics Prophylaxis Use in Orthopedic Surgery in Hospitals in Indonesia

“…Nurses' contributions to medical care and pharmaceutical care will reduce the barrier of nurses' collaboration with other professions. A systematic review had reported that, in more than 30% (15 out of 50 studies) of the included studies, nurses were heavily involved in interventions for improving patients' care, especially patients' adherence towards medication [29]. Pharmacists were reported to have higher barriers in collaboration than nurses because of limited doctor and nurse knowledge about the pharmacists' competencies.…”