A consultant pharmacist is a specialized pharmacist who focuses on reviewing and managing the medication regimens of patients, particularly those in institutional settings such as nursing homes. Pharmacists are health professionals who practice pharmacy. ... A nursing home is a place of residence for people who require constant medical care, but at a lower level than a hospital. ...
Consultant pharmacists are medication therapy experts who take responsibility for their patients’ medication-related needs; ensure that their patients’ medications are the most appropriate, the most effective, the safest possible, and are used correctly; and identify, resolve, and prevent medication-related problems that may interfere with the goals of therapy. Consultant pharmacists manage and improve drug therapy and improve the quality of life of the senior population and other individuals residing in a variety of environments, including hospitals, nursing facilities, subacute care and assisted living facilities, psychiatric hospitals, hospice care, and home- and community-based care. A medication is a licenced drug taken to cure or reduce symptoms of an illness or medical condition. ... A hospital today is an institution for professional health care provided by physicians and nurses. ... Assisted Living usually refers to a facility that is used by people who are not able to live on their own, but do not need the level of care that a nursing home offers. ... A psychiatric hospital (also called a mental hospital or asylum) is a hospital specializing in the treatment of persons with mental illness. ... Palliative care is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. ...
The primary association representing consultant pharmacists is the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists, however several other pharmacy associations also represent consultant pharmacists in various respects.
Unlike retail pharmacists and hospital pharmacists, most consultant pharmacists generally own their own practice or work for one of a handful of specialized pharmacy companies, the largest of which is Omnicare. Many consultant pharmacists do not even dispense drugs. In many ways they are more like doctors than the traditional concept of a retail pharmacist.
Recently, consultant pharmacists have started to expand into the realm of "Senior Care Pharmacy," a term used to refer to the practice of consultant pharmacy for seniors in non-institutional settings. As the American Post-WW2_baby_boom approaches retirement, this practice is becoming much more important. Many seniors, while not requiring nursing home care, still have complex medication regimens, often prescribed by numerous non-coordinating doctors. A senior care pharmacist works with these patents to resole conflicts in their medication regimen and to review its effectiveness in addressing their medical conditions. A US postage stamp depicting the increase in birth rate that country experienced after World War II. As is often the case with a large war, the elation of victory and large numbers of returning males to their country triggered a baby boom after the end of World War II...
Pharmacists typically take an order for medicines from a physician in the form of a medical prescription and dispense the medication to the patient.
Pharmacists are trained in fields including pharmacology, chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacy practice (including drug interactions, medicine monitoring, medication management), pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, physiology, anatomy and biochemistry.
In order to practise as a pharmacist, the person must be registered with the relevant statutory body, which governs the registration and practice of pharmacy within the territory of its jurisdiction.
Pharmacists have many areas of expertise and are a critical source of medical knowledge in clinics, hospitals, and community pharmacies throughout the world.
Pharmacists are sometimes referred to as chemists, which sometimes causes confusion with scientists in the field of chemistry.
Pharmacists are trained in fields including pharmacology, chemistry, pharmaceutical chemistry, pharmacy practice (including drug interactions, medicine monitoring, medication management), pharmaceutics, pharmacy law, physiology, anatomy, biochemistry, kinetics, nephrology, hepatology, and compounding medications.