Collaborative drug therapy management

Koch, K.E. Trends in collaborative drug therapy management. Drug Benefit Trends 2000, 12 (1), 45—54. 

Carmichael, I.M. O Connell, M.B. Devine, B. Kelly, W. Ereshefsky, I,. Linn, W. Stimmel, G.L. ACCP position statement Collaborative drug therapy management by pharmacists. Pharmacotherapy 1997, 17, 1050 1061. 

Collaborative Drug Therapy Management by Pharmacists (ACCP)... 

Collaborative drug therapy management, characterized by an interdisciplinary approach to patient care, is emerging as a solution that can maximize the patient s health-related quality of life, reduce the frequency of avoidable drug-related problems, and improve societal benefits from pharmaceuticals. In this approach to care, drug therapy decision making and management are coordinated collaboratively by pharmacists, physicians, other health care professionals, and the patient. 

This statement represents the position of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP) on the role of pharmacists in collaborative drug therapy management. Furthermore, a model for collaborative management of drug therapy is described and endorsed as a way to enhance the quality of patient care within health care systems. 

IMPACT OF PHARMACISTS PERFORMING COLLABORATIVE DRUG THERAPY MANAGEMENT... 

For pharmacists to participate effectively in collaborative drug therapy management in a timely and cost-efficient manner, several conditions must exist 1) a collaborative practice environment 2) access to patients 3) access to medical records 4) knowledge, skills, and ability 5) documentation of activities and 6) compensation for their activities. 

Access to a patient s medical records is essential to the provision of collaborative drug therapy management. In fact, it is only under these conditions, wherein the phamiacist has adequate knowledge of the patient and the patient s history, disease states, drug therapy, and laboratory and procedure results, that quality care can be rendered. Much work is being done in this area, via computerization of medical records and network facilitation of electronic data, to ensure this key element is in place to facilitate patient care by health care providers. 

In many ways, the pharmacist is uniquely trained for the task of collaborative drug therapy management. Contem-... 

When pharmacists participate in any aspect of collaborative drug therapy management, they must document their activities in the patient s medical record. This information should, in turn, be available to other care providers within the health care system. Within the collaborative drug therapy management agreement, the frequency of communication with the collaborative team should also be established. 

Not only has the role of the pharmacist evolved, but market-driven forces have eaused the entire health care system in the United States to become more collaborative in nature. Pharmacists now have an opportunity to participate in collaborative drug therapy management and eontribute to the quality of patient care in concert with other health care professionals. 

Collaborative drug therapy management is most successful when the nature of the collaborative arrangement, the competencies and credentialing required, and the quality assurance checks that will be used to assess performance are defined at the outset in each specific setting. 

In this era of rapid evolution in health care, the provision of collaborative drug therapy management by pharmacists can contribute to the efficacious, efficient, and cost-effective use of health care resources to improve patient outcomes in the United States. 

This article examines how the practice of pharmacy can be improved by the legal and institutional recognition of Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM). Further, the development of Collaborative Practice Agreements or defining a specific Scope of Practice that allows the pharmacist and other health professionals to focus more on integration and collaboration is discussed. 

Collaborative Drug Therapy Management (CDTM) The provision of pharmaceutical care in a collaborative and supportive practice environment that allows the qualified pharmacist legal, regulatory, and ethical responsibility to solve drug related problems when discovered. 

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