Allan Mills , PharmDGaltKA, GaltM. American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, Bethesda, Maryland, 2012. ISBN 978-1-58528-252-4. Softcover, 328 pages, illustrated. US$51 for ASHP members (US$57 for nonmembers).
The relationship between the pharmacist and the patient is at the core of the provision of pharmaceutical care, and Kimberly Galt and Michael Galt have based their primer on pharmacy practice on this principle. Although more experienced practitioners may have some interest in the theory that the authors present in support of various practice models, this book is ideally suited for the relatively new practitioner or the student entering clinical practice. It is designed to allow an exploration of basic principles related to patient-centred practice and opportunities to apply this knowledge. Supporting evidence is well organized, and in most cases the concepts, some of which are global in nature, are supported by several mental models or frameworks. The text is clearly written and easy to digest.
The material is delivered as a series of principles, illustrated by vignettes from 4 different patient perspectives and 4 different pharmacist perspectives. Each perspective represents the patient populations and practice settings that might be encountered in general practice. The focus is on populations and clinical settings in the United States, but the information can be easily translated to the Canadian context. Within these vignettes, scenarios are used to explore pharmacy practice from inpatient to community settings, along with consideration of a variety of ethnic, economic, and age differences among patients. The assessment questions and case-specific questions within the vignettes create exercises that allow the reader to attempt to apply the learning.
The text is organized into 2 main sections, the first comprising the frameworks and theory related to practice environment and the patient’s and pharmacist’s perspectives. The emphasis placed on the content of these first 3 chapters is refreshing, as it demonstrates the authors’ appreciation that an understanding of the clinical environment and the personal perspectives of both the patient and the pharmacist is important to establishing a therapeutic relationship. The second section outlines the process of providing care and covers topics such as assessment of patients, the patient encounter, documentation, evidence-based practice, and the care plan. As would be expected in a book covering such a broad range of skills, the material is general and formulaic, and further resources would be required for refinement of skills and knowledge. However, given the target audience (students and clerks) and the purpose of the book, this approach is appropriate and to be expected. Frameworks for interviewing, documentation, clinical reasoning, and clinical decision-making (i.e., creating the care plan) are provided, along with an excellent framework for evaluating evidence. There is also an overview of content from major contemporary tertiary sources, along with bar-coded links to further online forms and resources.
Patient-Centered Care for Pharmacists is an excellent general text for the new practitioner or the student looking for an introduction to the patient care process and can be highly recommended as such. The emphasis on frameworks and concepts provides a solid base for further refinement of skills and knowledge.
Competing interests: None declared.
Canadian Journal of Hospital Pharmacy , VOLUME 66 , NUMBER 2 , March-April 2013