2025 Clinical Pharmacy Conference: Clinical Pharmacists in the Era of Personalized Medicine – Elevating Professional Role
In addition, Associate Professor Dr. Nguyen Hoang Bac – Director of BV ĐHYD emphasized that Clinical Pharmacy plays a crucial role in building a patient safety culture. From the early days, the collaborative model of physician‑pharmacist‑nurse has been established and sustainably developed, present in all departments of the Hospital. BV ĐHYD is also the first institution in the country to implement a medication management module in electronic medical records, enhancing safety and treatment efficacy. In the context of personalized medicine, he affirmed that clinical pharmacists are a core force accompanying physicians in optimizing treatment, and hopes to continue receiving support from experts and professional societies both domestically and abroad. The Hospital commits to creating conditions to develop a modern, professional clinical pharmacy system, aiming for safe and effective patient care.
The reports at the conference focused on three prominent topics: pharmacogenomics, therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) and the trend of personalized treatment. Among them, TDM was highlighted as it allows control of efficacy and safety of drug groups with narrow therapeutic windows such as immunosuppressants, antibiotics, antifungals, or antiepileptics. By monitoring drug concentrations, physicians and pharmacists can timely adjust dosages, limit side effects, reduce drug resistance and significantly improve treatment outcomes.
Experts at the conference argued that in clinical practice, the same dosage can result in vastly different treatment outcomes and side effects among patients. The combination of TDM and pharmacogenomics enables the construction of ‘tailor‑made’ regimens for each individual, suited to distinct biological characteristics. This clearly demonstrates a shift in treatment approach, from merely controlling symptoms to enhancing quality of life and long‑term efficacy.
At BV ĐHYD, the Pharmacy Department early implemented TDM and achieved promising results. A typical case shared was a transplant patient requiring immunosuppressants. Through close drug level monitoring, the treatment team adjusted the dose appropriately, ensuring effective rejection prevention while avoiding hepatotoxicity and nephrotoxicity. The patient maintained stable health, with markedly improved quality of life. This result stemmed from tight and effective collaboration between physicians and clinical pharmacists in practice.
The conference also identified significant challenges, from testing costs, shortage of specialized personnel, to the need for multidisciplinary coordination. However, these difficulties underscore the necessity of building networks for experience sharing, training and collaborative research. Moreover, in the future, with support from artificial intelligence, big‑data analysis and next‑generation genetic technologies, clinical pharmacists will have powerful tools to further their role in patient care.