Teaching patient-centered care to pharmacy students

The concepts of pharmaceutical care are distinctively different from the responsibilities of dispensing pharmacists and in accordance with the standards of practice of other professionals in the health care system. By taking direct responsibility for individual patient's medication-related needs, pharmacists can make unique contribution to the outcome of medication therapy and to their patients' quality of life. If the pharmacists are to contribute effectively to the new patient-centered pharmaceutical practice they must have the opportunity to acquire the new knowledge and skills required for their new role. To do this they must become life-long learners, one of the roles of the new pharmacist. Therefore, an important outcome for pharmacy education is to perform graduates capable to provide patient-centered pharmaceutical services. The purpose of this paper is to stimulate reflection on the relevance of teaching patient-centered care to pharmacy students, consistent with the practice of pharmaceutical care as a current trend in the pharmacy practice.