Dispensing in 1982

The author discusses the role of the pharmacist as a patient counselor, using as a background the history of the USP as a mirror to the changing roles of pharmacy practitioners. The controversy over patient package inserts is presented as a conflict between pharmacy's traditional functions and the Food and Drug Administration's perception of a need for higher standards in patient information and as an example of how pharmacists, through their own neglect, stand in danger of abrogating their function as patient counselors. The author advocates that pharmacy expand its activities through increased attention to and more judicious use of the USP Dispensing Information and the other services that the USPC offers.