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Pharmacist Prescribing: Review of the Literature
Author(s) -
Kay Olivia C,
Brien Joanne E
Publication year - 2004
Publication title -
journal of pharmacy practice and research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.222
H-Index - 22
eISSN - 2055-2335
pISSN - 1445-937X
DOI - 10.1002/jppr2004344300
Subject(s) - medicine , pharmacist , psychological intervention , medline , clinical pharmacy , pharmaceutical care , family medicine , medication therapy management , nursing , pharmacy , political science , law
Aim: To evaluate the literature describing pharmacist prescribing activities and identify areas in need of further research. Method: Relevant literature was identified by searching Medline (1974 to February 2004), Embase (1980 to February 2004) and Pharmline (1980 to February 2004). Relevant studies were selected based on titles and abstracts. Results: 18 studies (17 USA, 1 UK) measured outcomes of drug therapy management by a dependent pharmacist prescriber compared to standard care. 19 studies described pharmacist interventions or recommendations on drug therapy that could be implemented with the approval of an independent prescriber. 52 papers described pharmacist‐prescribing activities in practice but lacked an experimental design. Prescribing protocols used were presented in 14 papers. Evidence from these studies supports the role of dependent prescribing pharmacists through positive patient outcomes. Conclusion: Few studies employed adequate research designs to control threats to internal and external validity. Additional research is needed to assess clinical, humanistic and economic outcomes to establish the viability of pharmacist prescribers. J Pharm Pract Res 2004; 34: 300–4.