Published Online, 18 July 2006, www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1H334a.
The Annals of Pharmacotherapy: Vol. 40, No. 7, pp. 1474-1475. DOI 10.1345/aph.1H334a
© 2006 Harvey Whitney Books Company.
Comment: Pharmacist Critique was Ill-Informed
Gerald G Briggs, BPharm
Pharmacist Clinical Specialist Perinatal Support Services Women's
Pavilion, Miller Children's Hospital Long Beach Memorial Medical Center 2801
Atlantic Avenue Long Beach, California 90801-1428
dplbriggs{at}earthlink.net
Published Online, July 18, 2006. www.theannals.com, DOI 10.1345/aph.1H334a
TO THE EDITOR: The opinion expressed by Dr.
Karpa1 in
this issue of The Annals is a thorough and eloquent rebuttal to the
commentary by Wall and Brown in Obstetrics and
Gynecology.2
I completely agree with her comments. When I read the Wall and Brown article,
one of my first thoughts was that their knowledge of our profession extends
only to retail pharmacy; in other words, they have little or no contact with
clinical pharmacists. I found this to be very strange in light of the
advancements made by our profession over the past 30+ years. Then it occurred
to me that our profession may be partially to blame. Perhaps there are more,
but I am aware of only 4 programs in which clinical pharmacists provide
full-time services to obstetric/gynecologic patients. Even worse, with one
exception, I am not aware of any pharmacy school curriculum that includes any
mention of reproductive toxicology or the unique pharmacology, drug therapy,
or diseases/complications associated with pregnancy. There are many
pharmacists involved in women's health, but this does not mean that they have
an in-depth understanding of these topics; nor does it indicate whether their
practice primarily involves obstetric patients.
I have been working almost exclusively with obstetricians/gynecologists and
their patients for more than 20 years. Three years ago, a second pharmacist
joined my practice and our group will expand to 4 in July. We attend daily
patient care rounds, participate as principal or coinvestigators in clinical
research, and are voting members of medical staff committees. The clinical
services that we provide include drug therapy management of diseases in
pregnant and nonpregnant women (both inpatient and outpatient); drug
information for physicians, nurses, and patients; and development of
"best practice" drug therapy guidelines for obstetric and/or
gynecologic patients. As clinical faculty for 2 schools of pharmacy, we teach
an elective, 6 week obstetric/gynecologic clerkship and help train clinical
pharmacy residents rotating through our area. We frequently deliver lectures
to medical students, obstetric/gynecologic and family medicine residents and
fellows, and attending physicians. Perhaps if these services had been
available at Washington University, Wall would never have coauthored the
article.
References
- Karpa KD. Pharmacist critique was ill-informed. Ann
Pharmacother 2006;40:1441-4. Epub 27 Jun 2006. DOI10.1345/aph1H334[Abstract/Free Full Text]
- Wall LL, Brown D. Refusals by pharmacists to dispense emergency
contraception: a critique. Obstet Gynecol 2006;107:1148-51.[Abstract/Free Full Text]
