[Expectations for the pharmacists in the management of infectious diseases]

In the 21 century, the management of infectious diseases has become increasingly important. Especially, the establishment of the infection prevention and control system is very important in the healthcare-settings for patient safety. And from this background, infection control teams (ICT) which perform the infectious diseases management have been organized in many institutions. These ICT members are medical doctors, nurses, medical technologists and pharmacists and the role of the pharmacist in the ICT is very important. The pharmacist should play a role as a specialist for antimicrobial agents, antiseptics and disinfectants. The roles and responsibilities of the pharmacist for infection control are leading the antimicrobial stewardship, promoting the appropriate and rational use of antimicrobial agents, advising the health system on the selection and use of appropriate antiseptics, disinfectants and sterilants, developing guidelines for risk assessment, treatment, and monitoring of patients and health care workers. Establishing internal pharmacy policies, procedures and quality control programs to prevent contamination, educating health professionals, patients, and the public activity are also included. It is expected that the infection control pharmacist should contribute to the management of infectious diseases and patient safety in the healthcare-settings.