Clinical Pharmacy

Clinical pharmacy is the branch of Pharmacy where pharmacists and pharmaconomists provide patient care that optimizes the use of medication and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention.^[1] Clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmaconomists care for patients in all health care settings but the clinical pharmacy movement initially began inside hospitals and clinics. Clinical pharmacists/pharmaconomists often collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals.
Clinical pharmacists and clinical pharmaconomists have extensive education in the biomedical, pharmaceutical, sociobehavioral and clinical sciences. Most clinical pharmacists have a Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree and many have completed one or more years of post-graduate training (e.g. a general and/or specialty pharmacy residency). Many clinical pharmacists also choose to become Board Certified through the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties (BPS) which was organized in 1976 as an independent certification agency of APhA (American Pharmacists Association). A pharmacist may become a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist (BCPS), a Board Certified Oncology Pharmacist (BCOP), Board Certified Nuclear Pharmacist (BCNP), Board Certified Nutrition Support Pharmacist (BCNSP), or a Board Certified Psychiatric Pharmacist (BCPP) through the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialities (BPS). There are also subspecialties within the Pharmacotherapy specialty: Cardiology and Infectious Disease. It is denoted as an "Added Qualification" or AQ. In order to obtain one of these specialties you must first be a Board Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and then submit a portfolio to the Board of Pharmaceutical Specialties for review to determine if they will grant you the added qualifications.^[2]
Within the system of health care, clinical pharmacists are experts in the therapeutic use of medications. They routinely provide medication therapy evaluations and recommendations to patients and other health care professionals. Clinical pharmacists are a primary source of scientifically valid information and advice regarding the safe, appropriate, and cost-effective use of medications. Clinical pharmacists are also making themselves more readily available to the public. In the past, access to a clinical pharmacist was limited to hospitals, clinics, or educational institutions. However, clinical pharmacists are making themselves available through a medication information hotline, and reviewing medication lists, all in an effort to prevent medication errors in the foreseeable future.
In some states, clinical pharmacists are given prescriptive authority under protocol with a medical provider (i.e., MD or DO), and their scope of practice is constantly evolving. In the United Kingdom clinical pharmacists are given independent prescriptive authority.
Basic components of clinical pharmacy practice^{[dubious – discuss]}:

1. Prescribing drugs^{[dubious – discuss]}
2. Administering drugs^{[dubious – discuss]}
3. Documenting professional services
4. Reviewing drug use
5. Communication
6. Counseling
7. Consulting
8. Preventing Medication Errors

Scope of clinical pharmacy:

Drug Information

Drug Utilization

Drug Evaluation and Selection

Medication Therapy Management

Formal Education and Training Program

Disease State Management

Application of Electronic Data Processing (EDP)