Clinical pharmacy involves pharmacists participating in patient care by providing drug information to healthcare professionals and patients. It aims to ensure patient well-being and safe, rational drug use. Clinical pharmacists take medication histories, monitor for drug interactions and adverse reactions, assist in drug selection and therapy, educate patients, and provide drug information to support optimal health outcomes. The scope of clinical pharmacy includes managing drug therapy for chronic conditions, controlling drug use, counseling patients, and collaborating with physicians and nurses through various educational and consultation activities.

1. HOSPITAL & CLINICAL PHARMACY
D.Pharm 2nd year
Topic- Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy Practice-
Definition & Scope
Presented by-
Shweta Mishra
HYGIA GROUP OF INSTITUTION, LUCKNOW

2. CONTENTS
★ Introduction to Clinical Pharmacy
★ Definitions of Clinical Pharmacy
★ Aim of Clinical Pharmacy
★ Qualities of Clinical Pharmacist
★ Role of Clinical Pharmacist in Health Care Team
★ Scope of Clinical Pharmacy

3. INTRODUCTION TO CLINICAL PHARMACY
★ The emergence of clinical pharmacy as branch has opened a new and
challenging avenue for the pharmacists.
★ Pharmacy contribution in recent years has increased considerably beyond
drug manufacture and distribution in developed and developing countries.
★ The reliance on the clinical pharmacy services has been largely because of an
explosive increase in the availability of a large number of drugs and the
excessive load on the physicians.

4. ★ The physicians has now to depend upon the pharmacist for imparting drug
related information to the patient especially in hospital settings.
★ Clinical pharmacy involves the participation of clinical pharmacists in drug
therapy decisions in patient care areas.
★ The clinical pharmacists serves as a source of information on drugs and
dosage forms to the members of the physicians, nursing staffs and other
health care professionals.

5. DEFINITIONS OF CLINICAL PHARMACY
★ Clinical pharmacy is a branch of pharmacy which deals with various aspects
of patient care, dispensing of drugs & advising patients on the safety &
rational use of the drugs.
OR
★ Clinical pharmacy can be defined as the branch of pharmaceutical sciences
dealing with utilization of pharmacist’s knowledge, skills and judgements
related to biomedical and pharmaceutical sciences, to prove the safety, the
cost and the precision of drug usage in the patient care.

6. AIM OF CLINICAL PHARMACY
The aim of the clinical pharmacy is to ensure the patient’s maximum well-being
and to play a meaningful role in the safe and rational use of drugs.
The main goals of clinical pharmacy are:
★ To assist the physician in doing a better job of prescribing and monitoring
drug therapy for the patient.
★ To maximise the patient’s compliance in drug use process.
★ To assist medical and para- medical staff and documenting incidents
correctly.

7. QUALITIES OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST
★ Communication Skill: The clinical pharmacist should have good
communication skills, in order to communicate with the patient and co-
professionals freely and effectively.
★ Empathy: Clinical pharmacists should possess a deep sense of shared
responsibility towards medical care of patients.
★ Clinical Skills:The clinical pharmacist should have knowledge about etiology
of a disease, signs, symptoms, pathophysiology, laboratory tests,
pharmacokinetics etc.

8. ★ Professional Relationship: Pharmacists should be able to understand and
appreciate the role of medical and para- medical staff whatever possible. The
physician, pharmacists and nurses should develop an inter- professional
relationship with each other to enhance the quality of patient care.
★ Monitoring Drug Therapy: Clinical pharmacist must help in monitoring drug
therapy because it is an ongoing process and keeps on changing depending
upon patient’s conditions.

9. ROLE OF CLINICAL PHARMACIST IN A HEALTH
CARE TEAM
★ Taking medication history of the patient: A clinical pharmacist must take and
maintain the medication history of patient by interacting with him.
★ Drug interactions: Many OTC drugs have potential to interact with
prescription drugs. After receiving the prescription, pharmacist checks the
drug interaction and patient’s habits with the help of patient’s history record.
★ Selection of proper drug therapy: Clinical pharmacist can assists in selection
of a proper drug products/generic formulation.
★ Drug monitoring: Clinical pharmacist can help in monitoring drug therapy for
safety and efficacy. They can also help in determining various
pharmacokinetic parameters based on plasma concentration of drugs,
enzymes and measurement of glucose levels in blood.

10. ★ Adverse drug reaction: Clinical pharmacist can help in detection, prevention
and reporting of adverse drug reactions. They can suggest physician for
alternate therapy wherever necessary.
★ Management of drug policies: Clinical pharmacists can participate in
formulating health and drug policies, and serve as sources of informations for
health care professionals, and to the public.
★ Research and development programmes: The clinical pharmacist can
participate in research for development of various formulations. They can
also help in conducting clinical trials.
★ Drug informations: Clinical pharmacist has the knowledge and expertise to
provide detailed information on medicines to members of health profession
and the public.

11. SCOPE OF CLINICAL PHARMACY
It includes:
★ Preparation of history of patient.
★ Preparation of drug history.
★ Participation in management of medical emergency.
★ Participation in drug investigation.
★ Participation in the management of chronic diseases like diabetes,
hypertension, arthritis etc.
★ To control over drug utilization.
★ To monitor drug therapy.
★ To counsel with patient.

12. ★ To help in selection of drug therapy to physician.
★ To communicate with physician and nurses through presentation and
publications.
★ Detection and reporting of adverse drug reactions(ADRs).
★ To take part in educational programme related with medical pharmacy and
nursing profession.
★ To provide the formal and informal consultation to the physician.
★ To explain the direction of use, route of administration and other related
information to the patients.
★ Collection of knowledge of drug therapy and pharmacokinetics of drugs.
★ To take the patients education, vaccination programme and other programme
related to social welfare arranged by the hospital.