The health care and pharmacy environments have changed substantially since the first edition of this book. Developments include the new Medicare prescription benefit, a growing emphasis on medication safety, and the dynamic technology driving safety in organized health care settings. Exploring these recent modifications, Pharmacy: What It Is and How It Works, Second Edition encompasses all aspects of pharmacy, from the various roles of pharmacists to particular health care-related events to career-planning information.
The book first focuses on the core of pharmacy, providing an overview of the field and a chapter dedicated to pharmacists. After an examination of how drug products are developed, used, and priced, it discusses the important topics of pharmacy technicians, information technology, pharmacy automation, and pharmaceutical care. Subsequent chapters cover the various areas where pharmacists work, including in community, hospital, home health care, and government pharmacies. The book concludes with chapters on the pharmaceutical industry and career planning. Each chapter features learning objectives, summaries, discussion questions, exercises, Web sites of interest, and references.
Pharmacies have evolved from the corner drugstores of old. To help navigate the modern field of pharmacy, this text provides a well-written, organized introduction for new pharmacy students, pharmacy technician trainees, and practitioners.
What is Pharmacy?
Pharmacy. What Is a Profession? A Brief History of Pharmacy. What Is the Purpose of Pharmacy? What Controls Pharmacy? What Shapes Pharmacy? The Value of Pharmacy.
The Pharmacist
Who Are Pharmacists? What Pharmacists Know. Characteristics of Pharmacists. What Pharmacists Do. Titles and Career Paths. Expectations of Pharmacists. Supply and Demand for Pharmacists. The Rewards of Being a Pharmacist. Lifelong Learning and Career Planning. Job Outlook.
Pharmacists and the Health Care System
Disease Burden. Overview of the Health Care System in the United States. The Delivery of Care. The Place of Drugs in the Health Care System. The Role of Pharmacists in the U.S. Health Care System.
The Drug-Use Process
What Is the Drug-Use Process? Drug Distribution. Counterfeit Drugs. Self-Care and the Role of OTC Medication. Prescribing Drugs. Dispensing. Drug Distribution in Organized Health Care Settings. Drug Sales. Medication Use. Drug Pricing. Buyers and Sellers of Prescription Drugs. Patients. Economic Value of Pharmaceuticals. Medication Administration. Quality Drug Therapy. How Drug Therapy Is Monitored and Reviewed. Patient Outcomes. Medication Safety. Control of the Drug-Use Process. Current Issues in the Drug-Use Process.
Pharmacy Supportive Personnel
The Pharmacy Technician. Employment. Why Pharmacy Technicians Are Important. What Pharmacy Technicians Do. What Pharmacy Technicians Need to Know.How Pharmacy Supportive Personnel Are Trained. Technician Certification and Competency. Pharmacy Technician Organizations. Supervision of Pharmacy Technicians. Being a Professional Pharmacy Technician. Job Outlook. White Paper on Needed Changes.
Pharmacy Technology and Automation
Information Technology versus Automation. Improved Safety. Improved Patient Care. Improved Efficiency. Improved Documentation of Care. Use of Pharmacy Technology and Automation. Information Technology. Automation. The Market for Pharmacy Automation. Automating the Pharmacy. Freeing Pharmacists for Pharmaceutical Care. Evidenced-Based, Safe Systems. The Future.
Pharmaceutical Care
Theory of Practice. A Brief History of Pharmacy Practice in the United States. From Clinical Pharmacy to Pharmaecutical Care. What Is Pharmaceutical Care? Pharmaceutical Care versus Clinical Pharmacy. Learning about Pharmaceutical Care. Providing Pharmaceutical Care. Why Perform Pharmaceutical Care? Pharmaceutical Care Works. When Will All Pharmacists Practice Pharmaceutical Care? Enablers to Pharmaceutical Care. Implementing Pharmaceutical Care. Documenting Pharmaceutical Care. Progress in Establishing Pharmaceutical Care.
Ambulatory (Community) Pharmacy
Types of Community Pharmacies. Patient Service and Satisfaction. Pharmaceutical Care. Catalysts. Dispensing Procedures to Improve Pharmaceutical Care. Avoiding Errors in the Dispensing Process. Community Pharmacy Services. Competition with Mail Order Pharmacies. Community Pharmacist Satisfaction. Positions for Pharmacists in Community Pharmacy. Future of Community Pharmacy Practice. Implementing Change in Community Pharmacy Practice.
Hospital Pharmacy
Hospitals. Patients. Health Care Team. Pharmacy Department. Pharmacy Staff. Pharmacists. Accreditation. Checking on Progress. Job Satisfaction. Future of Hospital Pharmacy.
Managed Care Pharmacy
What Is Managed Care? Health Maintenance Organizations. Preferred Provider Organizations. Point of Service Plans. Standards. Accreditation. Impact of Managed Care. Pharmacy Benefit Managers. Impact of Managed Care on Pharmacy. Medication Therapy Management. Quality Assessment and Assurance. Education of Providers and Members. Health Outcomes. Delivering Pharmaceutical Service and Care. Being a Pharmacist in Managed Care. Ethics.
Home Health Care Pharmacy
Background. Statistics. Home Care Agencies. Providing Home Care. Home Health Care Pharmacy Services. The Pharmacist’s Role in Home Health Care. Career Opportunities. Rewards and Satisfaction.
Long-Term Care Pharmacy
The Aging Population. Long-Term Care Facilities. Consultant Pharmacy Practice. Growth in Long-Term Care. Growth in Consultant Pharmacy Practice. Rewards and Satisfaction. Future of Consultant Pharmacy Practice.
Government Pharmacy
U.S. Public Health Service. Department of Defense (DOD). Department of Veterans Affairs. Federal Hospitals. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). Working for State Government. Rewards and Satisfaction.
Drug Information and Poison Control
Drug Information. Poison Information.
Pharmacy Academia
A Brief History. Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy. Pharmacy Students. Supply of Pharmacists. Pharmacy Faculty. Faculty Evaluation. Job Satisfaction. Preparation for an Academic Career.
Pharmacy Organizations
A Brief History. The Role of Pharmacy Organizations. The Importance of Membership. Pharmacy Organizations. Should Pharmacy Organizations Change?
How Drugs Are Discovered, Tested, and Approved
A Brief History of Drug Discovery and Development. How New Drugs Are Discovered. Drug Discovery. New Methods of Drug Design. The Drug Researcher. Drug Testing. Who Oversees Research on Investigational Drugs? Drug Standards. How Drugs Are Approved for Use. Time and Cost of Drug Development. Drug Manufacturing. Generic Drugs. DESI Drugs. Homeopathic Drugs. Nonprescription Drugs. Postmarketing Surveillance of New Drugs. Current Issues in Drug Development. Future of Drug Discovery.
Pharmaceutical Industry
Pharmaceutical Companies. Pharmacists in the Pharmaceutical Industry. Satisfaction and Career Advancement. Case Studies. Criticisms of the Industry.
Other Opportunities for Pharmacists
Alternative Medicine. Association Management. Consulting. Compounding Pharmacy. Forensic Pharmacy. Information Technology. Medical Education and Communications. Mail-Order Pharmacy. Nuclear Pharmacy. Pharmacy Benefit Management. Pharmacy Law. Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research. Pharmacoepidemiology. Pharmacy Management. Veterinary Pharmacy.
Career Development
A Career. Career Planning. Finding Your Job as a Pharmacist. The Letter of Application. The Interview. Changing Jobs. Changing Careers. For More Information.
Index
Each chapter features Learning Objectives, Summaries, Discussion Questions and Exercises, Challenges, Web Sites of Interest, and References.
“This book is intended for the pharmacy student, pharmacy technician student, and pharmacists interested in learning about the many aspects of the profession of pharmacy. … reviews the various aspects of pharmacy practice and provides the history and major changes in the profession over the past few decades. … The book is well written. Each chapter is presented in the same format, making it very user friendly. … Each chapter also contains learning objectives and study questions that could easily be used when incorporation this text into formal coursework. This text not only provides a great deal of information that is unavailable from another single source, but also extensively references the information presented to allow the reader to gain a deeper understanding of the material if necessary. The topics covered include many important aspects of pharmacy practice. The historical information provided is a valuable component that puts the current state of pharmacy practice into perspective. … This is a comprehensive review of the profession of pharmacy and would be useful for introductory courses in PharmD and pharmacy technician curricula. The topics addressed are current and relevant to the profession and the historical data provides valuable perspective on the current state of practice.”
—James S. Kalus, PharmD BCPS, Wayne State University, Detroit, in The Annals of Pharmacotherapy, Vol. 41, July/August 2007
"The book is easy to read and understand, and each chapter begins with learning objectives so that readers know what is going to be covered. Material is well referenced and the index makes finding subjects easy . . . The strength of this book is the breadth of the description of the pharmacy profession . . . provides readers with a good overview of the profession, factors that influence it, and career options."
– William A. Kehoe, Department of Pharmacy Practice, University of the Pacific, in Journal of Pharmacy Technology, July/ August 2007, Vol. 23
From the Foreword
“Current and future pharmacists owe Dr. Kelly a debt of gratitude for expressing his love for the profession through the creation of this book. His well-written and well-organized encapsulation of pharmacy will help ensure that those who enter the field are well-informed and are prepared to become the caring and empathic practitioners that pharmacy treasures.”
—William A. Zellmer, M.P.H., Deputy Executive Vice President, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, Maryland, USA