Overview: Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacy Services

SHPA Committee of Speciality Practice in Clinical Pharmacy. George Taylor (Chair), Anne Leversha, Christopher Archer, Camille Boland, Michael Dooley, Peter Fowler, Sharon Gordon-Croal, Jay Fitch, Sally Marotti, Amy McKenzie, Duncan McKenzie, Natalie Collard, Nicki Burridge, Karen O’Leary, Cameron Randall, Amber Roberts, Suzette Seaton Corresponding author: George Taylor, Clinical Lecturer, School of Pharmacy, University of Tasmania, Hobart Tas. 7001, Australia. E-mail: G.Taylor@utas.edu.au INTRODUCTION These standards supersede the previously published SHPA Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacy and SHPA Standards of Practice for the Provision of Medication Reconciliation. The practice of clinical pharmacy continues to evolve with the changing needs and demands of contemporary health care. These standards are applicable to the delivery of clinical pharmacy services across all care settings: inpatients, outpatients and patients in the community. They describe the activities delivered by pharmacists for patients to minimise the risks associated with the use of medicines and to optimise the use of medicines. Comprehensive and accountable clinical pharmacy services are an essential component of contemporary health care. Ideally, every health service organisation will have resources to provide all clinical pharmacy activities to every patient based on their needs. Australian and overseas practice-based evidence con! rm that the pharmacist activities described in these standards support an individual patient’s medication management plan (MMP) and reduce morbidity, mortality and the cost of care. Clinical pharmacy services for individual patients support the objectives of: • Guiding Principles to Achieve Continuity in Medication Management • National Safety and Quality Health Service Standards • Australian Safety and Quality Goals for Health Care • Hospital Accreditation Workbook • National Strategy for Quality Use of Medicines • Medication Safety Self-Assessment for Australian Hospitals • Antimicrobial Stewardship in Australian Hospitals. In addition, clinical pharmacy services for individual patients enable the objectives of national strategies to improve patient safety and quality of care to be met, such as: • Patient-Centred Care: Improving Quality and Safety through Partnerships with Patients and Consumers • Match Up Medicines: A Guide to Medication Reconciliation • National Inpatient Medication Chart (NIMC), National Aged Care Residential Medication Chart, Paediatric Medication Chart, Private Hospital NIMC and Private Hospital Day Surgery NIMC • National Medication Management Plan • Australian Charter of Healthcare Rights • OSSIE Guide to Clinical Handover Improvement. Other SHPA standards of practice and guidelines in specialty areas should be read in conjunction with these standards including: • Standards of Practice for Medication Safety • Standards of Practice for Drug Use Evaluation in Australian Hospitals • Standards of Practice for the Provision of Clinical Oncology Pharmacy Services • Standards of Practice for Mental Health Pharmacy • Standards of Practice for the Community Liaison Pharmacist • Guidelines for Self-Administration of Medication in Hospitals and Residential Care Facilities • Standards of Practice for the Provision of Oral Chemotherapy for the Treatment of Cancer • Standards of Practice in Emergency Medicine Pharmacy Practice • Standards of Practice for the Provision of Consumer Medicines Information by Pharmacists in Hospitals • Standards of Practice for Critical Care Pharmacy Practice • Standards of Practice for the Provision of Palliative Care Pharmacy Services • Standards of Practice for Pharmacy Investigational Drugs Services • Standards of Practice for Medicines Information Services. The professional conduct of pharmacists providing clinical services in all aspects of practice should be guided by the: • Pharmacy Board of Australia codes and guidelines • SHPA Code of Ethics • National Competency Standards Framework for Pharmacists in Australia. Familiarity with the medicines management pathway and how other non-clinical hospital pharmacy services support each step of the pathway is useful to understand the context of clinical pharmacy services (Figures 1, 2).