Structural Process and Implementation Programs of Pharmaceutical Care in Different Countries

Abstract

Pharmaceutical care started in the nineties in the United States and has rapidly extended in many other countries. Although there are different trends, such as clinical pharmacy services, cognitive services, medication management, medication review, they all share the same philosophy and objectives, namely "the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient's quality of life". To attain these objectives, a pharmaceutical care process has to be followed point-by-point in order to detect possible medication-related problems. Furthermore, pharmacists have to work together with patients, and ultimately with physicians to establish a care plan. This methodology requires basic skills of documentation and communication and therefore, it is important to establish implementation programs aimed at community-, hospital-, and consultant pharmacists, and to consider PC as a basic element of University teaching programs and postgraduate studies. Moreover, there are still barriers that hinder the provision of this service and have to be overcome. In this article, we have revised the implementation process and the existing projects in many countries and we conclude that despite the enormous amount of work, there is still much to be done from sides of Administration and pharmacists themselves.

A Pharmacotherapy Follow-Up Program in Patients with Type-2 Diabetes in Community Pharmacies in Spain

“…Although PC is widely accepted on a philosophical basis [13], to achieve widespread implementation of PC is necessary to show its efficacy. Consequently, the research group set out to create a program which would allow a comparison between usual community pharmacy care and the new model of PFU.…”

Comprehensive Medication Management Services in a Brazilian Speciality Pharmacy: A Qualitative Assessment

“…Preparing a new generation of clinical pharmacists involves a major transformation in the way the professional thinks and behaves. For this change to take place, it is crucial that the pharmacist truly embodies the philosophy of pharmaceutical care and assumes this as his or her professional mission [32]. The paradigm shift requires changing the focus from the product (medication) to the patient.…”

“…In addition to the problems that can be solved directly with the patient (such as non-compliance to the regimen), the resolution of drug therapy problems often demands the introduction, suspension and/or changes in drug therapy. Therefore, the pharmacist should be able to build a relationship with other professionals using effective communication strategies [32].…”

Towards a transformation in the pharmacist care paradigm: A scoping study

“…This disagreement with the term PC may be related to the following aspects: -According to Hepler [24], the concept of PC stimulates the pharmacists' imagination, causing the pharmacist to emphasize more some ideas than others and forgetting that medication therapy cannot be provided without the collaboration of the patient and other health professionals. Its evidence is that Van Mil and Fernandez-Llimos [25], Machuca et al [26], Blackburn et al [27], Alina Martínez [28], have debated the PC concept, and recently, Allemann et al [29] performed a review of the PC's definitions found in the literature, in order to construct one that includes all existing ones.…”