Tools used to help community pharmacists implement comprehensive pharmaceutical care.

Area of Science:

• Pharmaceutical sciences
• Geriatric pharmacotherapy
• Community pharmacy practice

Background:

• Community pharmacists play a crucial role in patient care, particularly for ambulatory elderly patients with complex medication needs.
• The Pharmaceutical Care Research and Education Project developed a Practice Enhancement Program (PEP) to address skill gaps in delivering comprehensive pharmaceutical care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the tools and processes utilized in the PEP.
• To enable community pharmacists to enhance their skills, knowledge, and attitudes for comprehensive pharmaceutical care delivery to elderly ambulatory patients.

Main Methods:

• The PEP employed a self-directed, problem-based learning approach.
• Adapted tools facilitated the nine steps of pharmaceutical care, including disease/drug learning, patient data acquisition, problem identification/resolution, documentation, and continuity of care.
• Pharmacists worked through simulated and real patient cases relevant to geriatric care.

Main Results:

• Pharmacists utilized the program's tools and processes to manage and resolve patient-specific drug-related problems.
• Initial training involved paper-based cases of acute and chronic conditions, followed by a practicum with actual patient scenarios.
• The program design supported the application of learned knowledge to improve drug therapy outcomes.

Conclusions:

• The PEP effectively enhanced community pharmacists' competency in providing comprehensive pharmaceutical care.
• The program fostered the development of essential skills, knowledge, and attitudes required for effective pharmaceutical care delivery.