WASHINGTON, DC – The American Pharmacists Association (APhA) recently published a guidebook, How to Implement the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process, that introduces the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process. In contrast with the uniform patient care process other health care professionals are educated to deliver, variability remains in the patient care process taught and practiced within the pharmacy profession. The Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process, adopted in May 2014 by the Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP), describes a consistent, contemporary and comprehensive approach to patient-centered care that is delivered in collaboration with other members of the health care team.

How to Implement the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process aims to help pharmacists understand the components of the patient care process and apply the process to patients in all pharmacy practice settings. Six sample case studies set in different patient care settings enable the reader to practice applying the patient care process. Additional activities enable pharmacists to evaluate existing patient care services, develop strategies for continuous quality improvement and create an implementation plan for their practice.

The workbook is designed for use by pharmacists in all practice settings and by pharmacy school instructors and preceptors as part of their college’s curriculum. It provides

• A thorough, yet concise, introduction to the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process
• A detailed explanation of each of the steps in the process (collect, assess, plan, implement, follow-up: monitor and evaluate)
• 6 real-world case studies set in different patient care settings that help the reader practice using the patient care process
• Exercises that help the user implement strategies for applying the patient care process to existing patient care services
• Appendices that include case study answer keys and a reprint of the JCPP Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process

Marialice S. Bennett, BSPharm, FAPhA, and Mary Ann Kliethermes, BSPharm, PharmD, coedited the publication. Bennett is Emeritus Professor, The Ohio State University College of Pharmacy, Columbus, Ohio. Kliethermes is Vice Chair of Ambulatory Care and Professor, Chicago College of Pharmacy, Midwestern University, Downers Grove, Illinois.

How to Implement the Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process (ISBN 978-1-58212-256-4; softbound; 65 pages; $19.95 [$15.95 for APhA members]) may be ordered online, www.pharmacist.com/shop, or by phone, 800-878-0729.  It will also be available in June as an eBook through Amazon.com and other major retailers, and will be posted July 29th on APhA’s online subscription product, PharmacyLibrary, www.pharmacylibrary.com.

About the American Pharmacists Association
The American Pharmacists Association, founded in 1852 as the American Pharmaceutical Association, is a 501 (c)(6) organization, representing more than 62,000 practicing pharmacists, pharmaceutical scientists, student pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and others interested in advancing the profession. APhA, dedicated to helping all pharmacists improve medication use and advance patient care, is the first-established and largest association of pharmacists in the United States. For more information, please visit www.pharmacist.com.