by CAROL UKENS

As if to remind pharmacy schools of the profession's roots, the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy has affirmed that a safe and accurate dispensing system overseen by a pharmacist is part of pharmaceutical care.

Two policy statements were unanimously adopted by voice vote of the AACP house of delegates at the association's annual meeting in San Diego last month. The statements had been proposed by the AACP Argus Commission, which is composed of past presidents of AACP. The statements affirm that "the responsibility for the accuracy, efficiency, and safety of dispensing medication is a component of pharmaceutical care" and that "pharmacists must be responsible for the design and operation of medication dispensing and distribution systems."

Noting that the pharmacy educational pendulum swings between various curricular aspects, Argus Commission chairman David Knapp noted that as pharmacy schools have moved to the Pharm.D. degree, they have placed a great deal of emphasis on pharmaceutical care. However, he added, "Some schools perhaps may have let that pendulum go too far in the other direction of neglecting attention to dispensing, supply, and physical product issues. We have clearly adopted a philosophy of patient orientation, and we have constantly emphasized the move from product orientation to patient orientation. But pharmacy exists because of the drug product, and managing and controlling drug products for the best interests of the patients. We can't partition [dispensing] off and have pharmacists assume that whatever happens in the dispensing function takes place correctly. Pharmacists have to take responsibility for that."

Pharmacy schools were urged by the Argus Commission to take a look at their programs, said Knapp, who is also dean of the University of Maryland School of Pharmacy. "We spent a considerable amount of time talking about how we can get schools to pay appropriate attention to dispensing issues in the context of pharmaceutical care," he said. "Our only recommendation to them is to examine their Pharm.D. curriculum and affirm that students are receiving the education required to address…medication distribution educational outcomes."

 

 

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