Established pharmacists as well as those studying to gain their qualifications will benefit from a new book which focuses on pharmaceutical care in New Zealand.
From Clinical Pharmacy to Pharmaceutical Care, edited by Associate-Professor Patrick Ball and Professor John Shaw from The University of Auckland and Dr Andrew Davey from the University of South Australia, is the first book to look specifically at pharmacy practice in this country.
Professor Shaw, co-editor and head of the School of Pharmacy at The University of Auckland’s Faculty of Medical and Health Sciences, says it is important to have a book specifically for New Zealand, written by leading New Zealand clinical pharmacists because pharmaceutical care is not identical in all countries.
“Drug names are different in other countries, or their availability differs, or there are slightly different processes in accessing services. We believe that by using New Zealand authors and presenting cases with a New Zealand focus, we can make the material more relevant and accessible to our pharmacists.”
Pharmaceutical care, a key theme of the book, is a new philosophy of pharmacy practice where the pharmacist works with patients, their caregivers and other health professionals to ensure that patients get the maximum benefit and least risk from the medicines they are taking (including self-medication and complementary therapies).
“Pharmaceutical care moves away from the concept of the pharmacist as simply dispenser or distributor of medicines to a more patient-centred focus. We believe that this is what patients and funding agencies ultimately want from pharmacy services.”