Remington an introduction to pharmacy

Pharmacy has historic roots as the art and science of preparing and dispensing medications. While this traditional role is still a viable role for pharmacists,

the preparation of medicines has transitioned in large part to the pharmaceutical industry. Dispensing of medicines has increasingly become more centralized

and automated, with many of the tasks formerly per- formed by pharmacists being done using technology or delegated to pharmacy technicians. The provision of drug-related information to other healthcare professionals and the public and disease-state management programs to assure the proper use of medicines has become a more important role for pharmacists. It is now recognized that medication-use is a complex and problem-prone process, in which errors that result in injury to patients can occur at each step. This process includes prescribing, transcribing, interpretation of the order, preparation and dispensing, and admin- istration and monitoring. It has been estimated that more than 2 million hospitalized patients per year experience an adverse drug reaction, two thirds of which were the cause of hospital admission and more than 100 000 of which are fatal.1 For pharmacists to contribute to improving the value of medicines, they must have a role in every aspect of medication use, from preparation to monitoring the outcome of drug  therapy. Pharmacy practice therefore involves the review and interpretation of prescription orders; the compounding, labeling, and dispensing of drugs and devices; drug product selection and medication-use  evaluation (MUE); patient monitoring and intervention; and the provision of information related to  use of medications and non-pharmacological modalities. The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) describes the mission of pharmacy as serving society as ‘‘the profession responsible for the appropriate use of medications, devices, and services to achieve optimal therapeutic outcomes.’’ The Report of the Commission of Pharmacy, Pharmacists for the Future (often referred to as the Millis Report), states that ‘‘pharmacy should be conceived basically as a knowledge system that renders a health service by concerning itself with understanding drugs and their effects.’’ Pharmaceutical care holds that the important role of the pharmacist is ‘‘the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes that improve a patient’s quality of life.’’ Pharmacists are experts on medications. They are also the most accessible member of today’s healthcare team, and often they are the first source of assistance and advice on many common ailments and healthcare matters.