Pharmaceutical Care: Patient-Focused Therapy

Shift from Product to Patient Focus

• Pharmaceutical care involves providing responsible drug therapy that achieves definite outcomes to improve a patient's quality of life, according to Hepler and Strand
• Pharmacist co-operates with patients and other health professionals to design, implement and monitor a therapeutic plan for specific outcomes
• Five principles include patient data collection, medical information evaluation, forming a drug therapy plan, implementing the plan, monitoring and modifying the plan

Under-utilization of Community Pharmacists

• Community pharmacists are underutilized in Malaysia for providing general pharmaceutical care
• Patients may visit community pharmacists to simply buy medication, without establishing a consistent relationship, or may not relay enough medical information for the pharmacist to make an informed recommendation
• Pharmacists need training in new skills, like professional communication
• Life-long learning is essential
• Specialization involves systematic, evidenced-based processes that validate healthcare professionals, employers and patients as qualified to practice clinically
• Pharmacy has three main areas: pharmacy practice, pharmacy enforcement, and regulatory pharmacy Clinical pharmacokinetic, geriatric pharmacy, MTAC diabetes, and MTAC warfarin are examples of specialization
• Conflicts and collaborations require team approach for the good of the patient
• Survival as a profession depends on teamwork

Biotechnology Products and Gene Therapy

• Biotech products and gene therapy require new manufacturing skills
• They involve "tailor-made" drugs and treatments, and involve the use of antibodies
• Biotech is very effective, but is very costly

Need for Quality Information

• It is important to be knowledgable and able to evaluate information
• Pharmacists need to provide unbiased info
• It is important to integrate traditional and herbal/complementary medicine
• Commercial interest should not outweigh professional responsibility

Information Technology

• Information technology can be a source of information, or provision of pharmaceutical care
• It is important for managing a pharmacy and fulfilling the requirements of the law
• Re-imbursement and innovative IT applications are important for pharmacy

Dispensing Separation

• There is agreement in principle and it is included in the National Medicines Policy
• Much work still needs to be done, including image, public acceptance, numbers and distribution and national healthcare financing scheme

Malaysian Healthcare Scenario

• There is national healthcare financing
• There is an increasing number of corporate players in the retail pharmacy sector, like Jusco and Cosway
• The Malaysian government's economic transformation programme (ETP) includes health tourism and the Malaysian pharmaceutical industry with 6 key entry point projects
• There is a saturation of the pharmacy workforce
• A new Pharmacy Act, for 2023, is in the works, but has not been passed yet

Health White Paper Pillars

• Pillar 1: Transforming Healthcare Service Delivery by prioritising primary healthcare, optimising hospital care services, increasing effective public-private partnerships, harnessing digital technologies, and ensuring equity in healthcare delivery
• Pillar 2: Advancing Health Promotion and Disease Prevention by strengthening public health functions, improving inter-sectoral coordination and collaboration for health, and incentivising pro-health practices and behaviours
• Pillar 3: Ensuring Sustainable and Equitable Health Financing by increasing investments for health, ensuring population receive comprehensive services that are affordable, and ensuring effective and efficient healthcare spending
• Pillar 4: Strengthening the Health System's Foundations and Governance by restructuring MOH's role, strengthening policies, legislation and regulations, fortifying the health workforce, and stimulating research, innovation, and evidence

Explore pharmaceutical care principles, emphasizing patient-focused drug therapy and pharmacist collaboration with healthcare professionals. Understand the under-utilization of community pharmacists and the importance of continuous learning. Learn about implementing therapeutic plans and monitoring patient outcomes.