Excellence in the management of clinical pharmacy services

Differences in the management of clinical versus nonclinical pharmaceutical services, unique aspects of managing clinical services, and management challenges for the 1990s are described. In nonclinical practice, pharmacists are located in the central pharmacy and have limited contact with physicians and nurses; managers focus on drug procurement, distribution, and accountability. A clinical program takes pharmacists to the patient's bedside and into more inter-professional contact; the management of a clinical pharmacy service is measured by the benefits received by patients, physicians, and nurses and by the job satisfaction of the pharmacists. Management of a clinical program requires (1) recognition of the potential for drugs to cause harm and commitment to pharmacists' responsibility for ensuring appropriate clinical outcomes, (2) analysis of the hospital and how clinical services can best be provided there, (3) obtaining resources to establish or gain access to a drug information service, (4) developing resources and support for a pharmacokinetics service, (5) for a pharmacokinetics service, (5) designing efficient distribution systems supported by automated applications and an adequate technician staff, (6) developing a pharmacist staff that will gain physicians' and nurses' support for clinical programs, (7) developing an organized approach to keeping staff members up to date on new drugs and technology and assisting them in sharing this knowledge with physicians and nurses, (8) demanding and ensuring the quality of the clinical performance of each pharmacist, (9) documenting and evaluating the cost-effectiveness of services provided, and (10) recruiting and retaining good pharmacists and technicians.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)