The challenge of health care developments for hospital pharmacy

The traditional role of hospital pharmacists in drug analysis and drug compounding broadened to a patient-oriented approach during the sixties and seventies. The clinical pharmacy concept was adopted. This practice includes daily-prepared total parenteral nutrition and chemotherapy, sophisticated analgesic systems, individualized drug distribution and specific information. The hospital pharmacy provides aseptic procedures as well as specialized logistics. Clinical pharmacy practice concentrates on tailor-made pharmaceutical care. As home health care usually deals with therapeutic modalities, this approach offers great possibilities for highly skilled out-patient care. Financial and legal interferences and the traditional gap between in-patient care and out-patient care must be removed. Home health care challenges the hospital pharmacists to place his knowledge and abilities at the disposal of this new type of patient care.