Can laboratory-based research skills help pharmacists improve patient outcomes?
July 21, 2014
IT IS now recognised that apart
from dispensing prescription
medications, pharmacists are also
involved in a more expanded and
team-based clinical role, providing
evidence-based information on
quality use of medicines to improve
patient care. In Australia, the
pharmacy curriculum is constantly
evolving to equip pharmacists
with the advanced clinical skills
and knowledge necessary to fulfil
and extend their roles in hospitals
or community pharmacies.
However, pharmacists often
face unique challenges other
than quality use of medicines.
For example, extemporaneous
formulations are often prepared
by pharmacists and the stability of
many extemporaneously prepared
formulations is currently unknown.
Therefore such formulations
are prepared on a daily basis,
resulting in subsequent limitations
and problems including patients
returning to hospitals every other
day for medication supply. Various
postgraduate programs including
Master of Pharmaceutical Science can
provide pharmacists with laboratorybased
research skills that can be
effectively utilised to offer creative
solutions to some of those unique
challenges. Such postgraduate
programs can provide pharmacists
with the opportunity to develop
a solid grounding in laboratorybased
research methodology and
enhance their problem solving skills.
Then pharmacists with specialised
laboratory skills can be more actively
involved in basic or applied research
such as establishing the long-term
stability of extemporaneously
prepared formulation. This additional
knowledge has great potential to
improve patient care.
This week’s
contributor is
Dr Rahul Patel,
Lecturer in
Pharmacological
Sciences at the
School of Medicine, University of
Tasmania
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