Clinical Pharmacists are uniquely trained in therapeutics and provide comprehensive drug management to patients and providers (includes physicians and additional members of the care team). Pharmacist intervention outcomes include economics, health-related quality of life,patient satisfaction, medication appropriateness, adverse drug events (ADEs), and adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

Clinical pharmacy is the branch of Pharmacy where pharmacists provide patient care that optimizes the use of medication and promotes health, and disease prevention. Clinical pharmacists care for patients in all health care settings but the clinical pharmacy movement initially began inside hospitals and clinics. Clinical pharmacists often collaborate with physicians and other healthcare professionals find the best pharmacotherapy regimen and pharmacotherapy consultant. Dose adjustment, patients education and drug monitoring are examples of pharmacotherapy practice.

From my limited experience I would say that to some degree the aim of much pharmacy practice research has been to demonstrate the role of the clinical pharmacist in health care settings. However, as pharmacists gain in confidence they are increasingly moving into other areas requiring interdisciplinary collaboration.

Dear all, thank you for your contributions:

I think what we have established so far is that

a) clinical pharmacy research is not equivalent to pharmacy practice research, because pharmacy practice comprises more than clinical pharmacy (e.g. drug distribution etc)

b) clinical pharmacy research focuses on research questions which investigate the associations of drug therapy or its use on economic, clinical or humanistic outcomes or proxies/intermediates to such outcomes (where direct measurement of such outcomes is not feasible for one reason or another)

However, Foppe states that 'clinical pharmacy' always involves pharmacists as actors', and my question is then whether this would also apply to clinical pharmacy RESEARCH?

For example, are pharmacoepidemiological studies (including randomised controlled trials, cohort studies, case control studies and case reports) excluded from 'clinical pharmacy' research? Or does it depend on whether one of the researchers is a pharmacist (rather than the pharmacists or their actions being the subject of research)? Is there a difference between 'clinical pharmacy' research and 'pharmaceutical care' research?

i think "Clinical Pharmacy Research", in which "Clinical" is involved, means the use of drug/substance in patients/public. Eg : Drug A in preventing Disease X ; the use of Drug B prior to/or after Drug C in managing of disease Y.

For "Pharmacy Practice Research", it is mostly focus on policy related intervention. Eg: the role of pharmacist in managing disease Z in (setting P); effectiveness of clinical pharmacist in minimizing patient re-admission.

Thus, i agree with Tobias Dreischulte ·; clinical pharmacy research is not equivalent to pharmacy practice research. Although there might be interception between these 2 areas, sometime, they are not the same.

Speaking as one who has been Both a clinical pharmacist and a clinical pharmacology (with degrees and past academic appointments in both areas) for over 40 years, I would agree with most of what has been said and ADD that, for most of the general public and for many health care professionals, the terms are used interchangeably (whether or not we agree with such usage).

To me, they are actually are quite similar, but with some nuanced distinctions. First, I simply define clinical pharmacy as any component of pharmacy practice, research, or education that involves optimization of drug use for human patients. The operant term here is, of course, pharmacy practice. Thus, one may perform the exact same, for example research activity, and depending on whether one is a physician or a pharmacist, the activity may be appropriately classified as involving either "clinical pharmacology" or "clinical pharmacy".

The answer then, at least in my estimation, is largely one of semantics. As a final personal example, when referred to the 17 textbooks that I have written over the past 35 years, I variously refer to them as "clinical pharmacy" or "clinical pharmacology" texts --- depending entirely upon the audience that I am addressing!!

Thank you all for your contributions! If Clinical Pharmacy and Clinical Pharmacology research share the same content area, what are the advantages and disadvantages of distinguishing them by the professional background of the researcher?

Yes, nowadays clinical pharmacy research should focus on prescribing appropriateness and drug usage optimisation and effectiveness based on its clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes compared to other modalities.

Clinical Pharmacy research focuses on

1. Identification of Drug therapy problems

2. Assessment of adherence and non adherence of patients on their medications and lifestyle modifications

3.Treatment outcome and predictors of treatment outcome

4. availability and impact of clinical pharmacy service of health outcome of patients in different wards

5.Assesment of quality of life of patients

6. etc