Student programme: A systematic approach to pharmaceutical care – what is this about and how can it be implemented by the hospital pharmacist?

 

 

Over 20 years ago Hepler and Strand published a seminal paper on the philosophy of pharmaceutical care (Hepler and Strand, 1990), defined as: “….responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life.” Different models of pharmaceutical care have evolved but generally they involve a systematic process which is patient focussed and underpins a robust and professional philosophy of pharmacy practice. As part of this process, the pharmacist needs to co-operate with the patient and other members of the multi-disciplinary team to design, implement and monitor a therapeutic plan. To standardise and aid the hospital pharmacist in conducting the process in an organised way and to ensure maximum use of the pharmacist’s skills, guidance on a systematic approach has been drawn up in Scotland (CRAG, 1996). This is a stepwise approach which results in formulation of a pharmaceutical care plan for an individual patient, identifying potential and actual care issues with associated actions to resolve and prevent the issues. This workshop will provide participants with an introduction and overview to the systematic approach. It aims to facilitate the development and application of knowledge and skills that relate to pharmaceutical care practice using an interactive, hands-on approach. 

Participants will be provided with materials to take home following the workshop for application to and development of their own practice.

 

 

 

 

At the end of the workshop, the participants will be familiar with the application of the systematic approach in formulating an individualised care plan.