Pharmacy Practice and Patient Care

Role of Pharmacists in Patient Care

• Pharmacists are responsible for various patient activities, including:
  • Reconciling medication
  • Detecting drug interactions
  • Checking laboratory tests to monitor drug therapy
  • Extending prescriptions
  • Imparting patient education
• Pharmacists can prevent drug administration errors and advocate for patients when prescriptions are no longer indicated or beneficial.

Role of Pharmacists in Chronic Disease Management

• Pharmacists play a crucial role in the management of chronic diseases, including:
  • Helping reduce medical costs for prescription medications
  • Increasing the rationality of therapy for patients with chronic diseases
  • Participating in treatment and optimizing therapies
  • Improving patient safety by increasing the focus on the patient's drug therapy
• Pharmacists can improve patient compliance by offering solutions to encourage therapeutic adherence, thereby improving clinical outcomes and reducing adverse effects and treatment costs.

Role of Pharmacists in Interprofessional Care Teams

• The presence of pharmacists in interprofessional care teams has a positive impact on patient recovery, including:
  • Reducing medical costs for prescription medications
  • Increasing the rationality of therapy for patients with chronic diseases
• Pharmacists work with other healthcare professionals to provide patient-centered care, including:
  • Partnership
  • Coordination
  • Cooperation
  • Shared decision-making

Role of Pharmacists in Specific Disease Management

• In hypertension management, community pharmacists can:
  • Educate patients about hypertension and its management
  • Monitor patients with elevated blood pressure and refer them to their general practitioners
  • Ensure that patients adhere to treatment plans and relevant lifestyle modifications
  • Coach patients on how to measure and monitor their blood pressure at home
• In diabetes management, community pharmacists can:
  • Provide patient education and consultation about diabetes and its treatment
  • Monitor glycemic control and promote medication adherence and self-management
  • Identify, prevent, and resolve drug therapy problems
  • Monitor blood pressure, lipid levels, and weight management
• In asthma/COPD management, community pharmacists can:
  • Provide patient education about the disease conditions and symptoms
  • Counsel patients on medication choice, medication adherence, and correct use of inhaler devices
  • Evaluate patient risk of disease aggravation and promote smoking cessation
  • Assist in self-management practices and refer patients with problems back to their general practitioners
• In mental health management, community pharmacists can:
  • Provide mental health medication therapy management and review
  • Identify, prevent, or resolve drug therapy problems
  • Educate patients about the mechanism of action of prescribed medication
  • Monitor patients with depression regularly for timely identification of suicidal ideations
  • Remind patients with mental disorders to consult with their physicians regularly
  • Provide health support, including medication therapy management and connecting patients with support systems
• In chronic kidney disease management, clinical pharmacists can:
  • Perform medication reconciliation and review
  • Detect dosing errors and identify drug interactions
  • Provide medication education and reduce medication-related problems
  • Improve the management of anemia, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia
  • Reduce hospital admissions, length of hospital stay, and incidence of End-Stage Renal Disease or death

Barriers to Chronic Disease Management in Low- and Middle-Income Countries

• The key barriers that could impede chronic disease management by community pharmacists in low- and middle-income countries include:
  • Lack of supporting laws
  • Shortage of community pharmacists
  • Lack or inadequate advanced training in chronic disease management
  • Lack of collaborative practice with physicians
  • Lack of reimbursement for clinical services
  • In the absence of commensurate financial incentives, community pharmacists are not motivated to provide patient-centered services.