Pharmaceutical care role model in psychiatry--pharmacist prescribing.
Pharmacist's expanded roles in a mental health clinic are described. A needs assessment identified problems which could be solved by expanding the pharmacist's scope of practice. Pharmacy, psychiatry, and medical center administration approved the pharmacist's psychiatric prescribing privileges and the authority to order appropriate laboratory tests, which provides the mechanism of solving the problems identified. Psychiatry's acceptance of pharmacists in this new role is demonstrated by the continued expansion of this program. By the end of a 4-year period, pharmacists were seeing 46% of all psychiatric medication visits. A description of the privileges, roles, and process is provided.
San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center, San Diego, CA, USA.
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Ellenor
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Dishman
D002140:California; D011307:Drug Prescriptions; D006745:Hospital Bed Capacity, 300 to 499; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D015274:Interdepartmental Relations; D007587:Job Description; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000188:drug therapy*; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D010349:Patient Compliance; D010607:Pharmacy Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000592:standards; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration; D012380:Role; D016526:Workload / Q000706:statistics & numerical data