Innovation in clinical pharmacy practice and opportunities for academic--practice partnership

Area of Science:

• Pharmacy Practice
• Health Professions Education
• Healthcare Innovation

Background:

• Clinical pharmacy has historically driven practice advancements and improved medication therapy outcomes.
• A decline in clinical pharmacy innovation has been observed in recent years.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the potential of academic–practice partnerships to stimulate innovation in clinical pharmacy.
• To identify strategies for optimizing these collaborations to foster a new generation of clinical pharmacists.

Main Methods:

• The study proposes a framework for enhancing academic–practice partnerships.
• Key strategies include mutual accountability, symbiotic relationship development, and continuous quality improvement.

Main Results:

• Current academic–practice collaborations are underutilized.
• Optimizing these partnerships requires a dedicated culture for innovation, idea incubation, and aligned vision.

Conclusions:

• Strengthening academic–practice partnerships is crucial for reversing the decline in clinical pharmacy innovation.
• These collaborations, with proper leadership and support, can lead to significant practice advancements and improved patient outcomes.