Clinical Pharmacy Practice

Clinical pharmacology is the science of drug use in humans. Clinicians of all specialties prescribe drugs on a daily basis, and this is both one of the most useful but also one of the most dangerous activities of our professional lives. Understanding the principles of clinical pharmacology is the basis of safe and effective therapeutic practice, which is why this subject forms an increasingly important part of the medical curriculum. Clinical pharmacy practice is concerned with the promotion of effective, safe and economical drug therapy. Pharmacy practice is a broader term which includes clinical pharmacy and other patient care–related activities performed by pharmacists in the hospital and community settings. These include dispensing and drug distribution, drug information, health promotion, patient counselling, pharmacovigilance, medication reviews, academic detailing and sterile and non-sterile manufacturing. Clinical pharmacy has its origins in hospital pharmacy, but in some countries, clinical activities which in the beginning were restricted to hospitals are now welldeveloped in the community setting.This book is addressed primarily to doctors of all specialties, but also to other professionals who increasingly prescribe medicines (including pharmacists, nurses and some other allied professionals). Clinical pharmacology is a fast moving subject and the present edition has been completely revised and updated.