Abstract:
According to the Institute of Medicine report medications are the
most common medical intervention. However, drug-related morbidity
and mortality now represents a major public health challenge due to
the ineffective and unsafe consequences of medication use. Morbidity
in this case relates to disease and illness associated with drug therapy
whereas mortality relates to death associated with drug therapy. It is
also estimated in the US that drug-related morbidity and mortality cost
about $200 billion annually in health care expenditure.
This is clearly a failure in our healthcare systems. In order to reduce
this drug-related morbidity and mortality we have to deal it with at the
clinical level, one patient at a time. The profession of Pharmacy
responded to this problem with the introduction of clinical pharmacy
in the mid-1960’s and included a number of services which were more
patient-focused and less product-focused. In this model, however, the
pharmacist was seen as a drug information provider and was less held
accountable for the drug therapy outcomes. In the 1990’s a major
paradigm shift in terms of philosophy of practice that included the care
concept and taking responsibility for drug therapy outcomes was
witnessed. Pharmaceutical care was born. It is defined by Linda Strand
and Hepler as a patient-centered practice in which the practitioner
assumes responsibility for a patient’s drug-related needs and is held
accountable for this commitment. The aim of this philosophy of
practice was the provision of responsible drug therapy for the purpose
of achieving positive patient outcomes.
