Pharmacist Vignettes #1: Clinical Pharmacy – Optimizing Medication Use to Enhance Quality of Patient Care

⭐ Clinical pharmacy began to develop robustly in the United States during the 1960s, driving a paradigm shift in the role of pharmacists from focusing primarily on drug supply to actively engaging in direct patient care and pharmacotherapy management. Clinical pharmacists collaborate with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to optimize medication use—ranging from drug selection, dosage optimization, and drug interaction evaluation to monitoring therapeutic efficacy and detecting adverse drug reactions. Today, clinical pharmacists have become indispensable members of the multidisciplinary healthcare team, contributing to ensuring that medications are used safely, rationally, effectively, and tailored to each individual patient.

🇻🇳 In Vietnam, clinical pharmacy practice was officially regulated under Circular No. 31/2012/TT-BYT issued by the Ministry of Health. In 2020, Decree No. 131/2020/ND-CP was enacted, laying down specific regulations on the organization and activities of clinical pharmacy within medical examination and treatment facilities, establishing a firm legal framework to implement these practices synchronously and effectively. Key clinical pharmacy activities encompass advising on drug selection and formulary development, monitoring prescribing and drug utilization, providing drug information, developing and overseeing adherence to standard operating procedures and clinical guidelines regarding medication use, monitoring adverse drug reactions, evaluating drug use efficacy, and participating in scientific research.

👉 At University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City, clinical pharmacy activities receive close attention and strategic guidance from the Board of Directors and the Leadership of the Pharmacy Department, alongside seamless coordination across all clinical departments, divisions, and functional units hospital-wide. The clinical pharmacy team has continuously grown in both numbers and professional competence, progressively becoming a pivotal link in patient care. Clinical pharmacy services are implemented across multiple facets: • Optimizing pharmacotherapy: Reviewing medical orders; evaluating indications, dosages, routes of administration, drug interactions, contraindications, and patient-specific clinical parameters. • Ensuring medication safety: Monitoring, detecting, and assessing adverse drug reactions; identifying and mitigating medication-related risks. • Providing drug information and counseling: Supporting healthcare personnel and patients with access to accurate, updated, and context-specific medication information. • Standardizing and advancing clinical practice: Participating in the formulation of protocols, clinical guidelines, and drug utilization reviews to enhance treatment quality. • Engaging in scientific research: Conducting studies on rational, safe, and effective medication use to optimize therapy and improve clinical care outcomes.

💊 Within the multidisciplinary care model, clinical pharmacists work hand in hand with healthcare professionals to optimize pharmacotherapy and safeguard medication use. Embracing a patient-centered approach, clinical pharmacists at University Medical Center Ho Chi Minh City continuously advance their professional expertise and enhance multidisciplinary collaboration, striving toward the goal of safe, rational, and effective medication optimization while elevating overall patient care quality.