[Elucidating obstructive factors for IPW from the pharmacist position in clinical practice]

In Japan, many health professionals do not seem to have adequate understandings of the competencies and specialties of other professionals. The competencies of pharmacists are especially overlooked because their expected roles have been changing rapidly in recent years and may vary depending on context in various settings. Due to this lack of understanding physicians themselves often perform therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM), and pharmacists sometimes suggest unnecessary prescription proposals to physicians without considering their treatment plans. Although "community and hospital pharmacist collaboration" has been emphasized for many years, many pharmacists in both settings still do not understand one another's situation. How can we make pharmacists' competencies appropriately understood and respected by other health professionals? What should we do to promote interprofessional work (IPW) with more incorporation of pharmacists so as to pursue patient/client/family-centered care? The key to success in IPW seems to lie in the answers to these questions.