PHARMACEUTICAL CARE

 Responsible provision of therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve the patients quality
of life (Hepler and Strand).

Aspect Traditional Pharmacy Clinical Pharmacy Pharmaceutical Care

Primary Rx order or OTC Physicians or other health professionals Patient

Focus request - They have to work together for drug-drug
interaction, especially in multi-prescription drugs.

Continuity Upon demand Discontinuous Continuous

- Once the prescription is - Once the patient has recovered, discontinue. - There is still
served, it’s done. monitoring.

Strategy Obey Find fault or prevention Anticipate or improve

- Drug-drug interaction or food-food interaction.

Orientation Drug product Process Outcomes

- Improving the patient's
quality of life.

TRANSFORMATION OF HEALTHCARE

Old Paradigm

 Emphasis on acute patient care

 Emphasis on treating illness
 Responsible for individual patients
 All providers are essentially similar
 Success is achieved by increasing market share of in-patient admissions
 Goal is to fill beds
 Hospitals, physicians, and health plans are separate

New Paradigm

 Emphasis on the continuum of care

 Emphasis on maintaining and promoting wellness
 Accountable for the health of defined populations
 Differentiation based on ability to add value
 Success achieved by increasing the number of covered lives and keeping people well

OUTCOMES IN PHARMACEUTICAL CARE

1. Cure of a disease
2. Elimination or reduction of a patient’s symptomatology
 Symptomatology: set of symptoms exhibited by the patient
3. Arresting or slowing of a disease process
 4. Preventing a disease or symptomatology

FIVE STEPS IN THE PHARMACEUTICAL CARE PROCESS

1. A professional relationship with the patient must be established.

2. Patient-specific medical information must be collected, organized, recorded, and maintained.
3. Patient-specific medical information must be evaluated and a drug therapy plan developed mutually with the
patient.
4. The pharmacist must ensure that the supplies, information, and knowledge necessary to carry out the drug
plan.
5. The pharmacist must review, monitor, and modify the therapeutic plan as necessary and appropriate, in
concert with the patient and health care team.

PHARMACEUTICAL CARE CYCLE

The pharmacist will set priorities for care to the patient receiving or requiring pharmaceutical care through the following
steps:

Step 1: Assess needs and identify drug problems

Step 2: Developing a care plan
Step 3: Implement the care plan
Step 4: Monitor and review the care plan

It is important to still set priorities for care to the patients after the following steps to maintain and attain the highest
possible standard of health.