Association news / À l'écoute de l'AMC

New joint policy spells out MD, pharmacist roles in provision of drug therapy

Anne Carter, MD, FRCPC; Mary Colbran Smith

Canadian Medical Association Journal 1996; 155: 784

[en bref]

Anne Carter is associate director of the CMA's Research Directorate. Mary Colbran Smith is senior project manager with the directorate.

© 1996 Canadian Medical Association (text and abstract/résumé)

In brief

The CMA and Canadian Pharmaceutical Association have collaborated to produce a joint policy statement on ways to enhance the quality of drug therapy, which is published in this issue of CMAJ. This article outlines the rationale for the statement.

En bref

 L'AMC et l'Association pharmaceutique canadienne ont uni leurs efforts pour produire un énoncé de principe conjoint sur des façons d'améliorer la qualité de la pharmacothérapie. Cet article qui paraît dans le présent numéro du JAMC décrit la justification de l'énoncé.

Recognizing the important and often critical role drug therapy plays in improving the health status and quality of life of Canadians, the CMA and the Canadian Pharmaceutical Association (CPhA) have approved a joint policy statement, Approaches to Enhancing the Quality of Drug Therapy, which appears in this issue of CMAJ [full text / texte complet].

The CMA began collaborating with the CPhA early last year in hopes of producing a joint statement that would provide leadership for physicians in this area and promote the highest standard and quality of drug therapy for Canadians. A joint working group was formed, and Dr. Mark Berner of Montreal and Dr. Kathryn MacCullam of Ottawa, both members of the CMA's Subcommittee on Drugs and Therapeutics, were selected as CMA representatives.

The end product is a joint policy statement that was approved by the directors of both organizations in May 1996. It focuses on the specific responsibilities of physicians and pharmacists as they work with patients to provide high-quality drug therapy.

The statement includes specific strategies to facilitate teamwork and partnership between physicians and pharmacists and outlines the specific responsibilities of both professions when providing drug therapy. These are based on the legislated scopes of practice of the professions, which are provincially regulated and vary by province, as well on factors such as education and specialized skills, relationships with patients and the practice environment.

"Both associations recognize the significant impact pharmaceuticals make to health," said Dr. Judith Kazimirski, the CMA president. "Physicians and pharmacists have complementary and supportive respon-sibilities in the provision of drug therapy. This statement sets out, in an integrated manner, the respective roles of physicians and pharmacists in drug therapy. We are trying to inform and educate our members and the public of these important and interrelated responsibilities."

The statement says physicians and pharmacists must support one another's relationship with their patients. "This requires respect, communication and an understanding of their interrelationships," says MacCullam.

The statement also recognizes that optimal drug therapy is tailored to meet the needs of patients and to help them make decisions about their therapy. To provide continuity of care and promote consistency in the information being provided, physicians and pharmacists should assess patients' knowledge about their drug therapy and identify and reinforce the educational component that each provides.

"The role of each profession in providing drug therapy depends on a number of factors, including individual patients and their drug therapy, the setting and the patient­physician­pharmacist relationship," Berner notes. "When counselling patients on their drug therapy, a physician may focus on disease-specific counselling, the goals of drug therapy, the risks and benefits and the side effects. A pharmacist may focus on correct usage, dosage, dietary restrictions and storage."

The policy document has been sent to the CMA's affiliate societies and to similar CPhA groups to give them an opportunity to endorse it. A listing of such endorsements will appear in an upcoming issue of CMAJ or CMA News.

The joint policy statement is also being published in the September 1996 issue of the Canadian Pharmaceutical Journal.

| CMAJ September 15, 1996 (vol 155, no 6)  /  JAMC le 15 septembre 1996 (vol 155, no 6) |