The idea for this book, Community and Clinical Pharmacy Services: A
Step-by-Step Approach, was born from the core assertion that our
profession is capable, well trained, and willing to fill a gap in health
care for millions of Americans. Pharmacists are trained with exceptional
clinical knowledge, but a gap still exists between our ability to help
patients achieve health goals and the widespread creation of advanced
pharmacy services in community and clinic settings. This book provides
practical—not merely ideological—solutions to address this gap.
The structure of this book is unique. The first four
chapters discuss practical general aspects for providing advanced pharmacy
services, documentation skills, motivational interviewing of patients, and
medication therapy management (MTM). These are essentially the “management”
skills needed to implement and maintain advanced patient care services.
The subsequent chapters thoroughly discuss disease states
that most likely would be amenable to development of pharmacy services. Each
of these chapters begins with a short therapeutic refresher and quickly
dives into the “how to” aspects of providing services for each
disease state. Aspects such as equipment, pricing services, developing a
business plan, securing outside stakeholder support, and marketing are
discussed. In particular, the structure of these “disease state”
chapters holds many pearls. As is the case with other books in this subject
area, learning objectives and summary points are provided to enhance the
reader's knowledge. In addition, many chapters contain an interview
with a pharmacist who has implemented and maintained pharmacy services in
that particular disease state, including a practical discussion of the
“pearls of wisdom” that they gained and the barriers that they
had to overcome. Furthermore, a simulated patient case integrates many of
the therapeutic components covered in the first part of the chapter.
Finally, a set of chapter-focused questions with answers and explanations
and an online PowerPoint presentation are provided to ensure applicability
of the content toward an academic setting.
Exceptional pharmacists across the country are successfully providing
advanced pharmacy services with a sustainable business model. This book
seeks to put the tools of those success stories into the reader's hands
to help achieve a more widespread advancement of the profession as a whole
and, most importantly, the health of our patients. This book is ideal for
student pharmacist electives, resident and preceptor development, and as an
enhancement of practice ideas and skills for pharmacists working in a
community or clinic setting who seek to initiate MTM services or to
diversify their current practice. Because both of us have developed services
in multiple settings, we recognize that implementation and maintenance of
such services requires knowledge, skills, and dedication. Likewise, we have
sought authors for each chapter who we feel have been able to provide
important pearls that they gained while building their services. Community
and Clinical Pharmacy Services: A Step-by-Step Approach represents the
accumulated wisdom and experience of many pharmacists, and we hope that this
shared knowledge will enable pharmacy as a whole to reach new levels of
implementing health-care services.