Released in May 2014 was a joint document delineating the process of patient care for pharmacists endorsed by U.S. national pharmacy organizations of pharmacist practitioners.¹

The process of care delineated in “Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process” applies to pharmacists providing patient-centered care regardless of the setting they work in. Indeed, JCPP (Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners), the entity that approved this consensus document, is composed of professional organizations that represent pharmacy educators and practitioners practicing in various educational and health care settings. Member organizations are:

• Academy of Managed Care Pharmacy (AMCP)
• Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE)
• American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy (AACP)
• American College of Apothecaries (ACA)
• American College of Clinical Pharmacy (ACCP)
• American Pharmacists Association (APhA)
• American Society of Consultant Pharmacists (ASCP)
• American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP)
• National Alliance of State Pharmacy Associations (NASPA)
• National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)
• National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA)

The document positions collaboration, communication, and documentation at the core of the care process. The process consists of several actions that pharmacists must take in the provision of patient-centered care. These actions require the pharmacist to collect relevant data, assess these data, develop an individualized plan, implement the plan, and then monitor and evaluate the safety and effectiveness of the implemented plan. (Figure)

Figure: Process of Patient Care

Modified from reference 1 (JCPP).

Each of the actions is further delineated to describe the elements and steps needed to accomplish it. In addition, the document underscores the importance of establishing patient-pharmacist relationships as a key first step and using interoperable information technology systems to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the process.

The endorsement of this document is critical to the alignment of specific educational strategies with an acknowledged, unified process for the provision of patient-centered pharmacy services delivered in the various health care settings of one nation.

¹ Joint Commission of Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP). Pharmacists’ Patient Care Process. May 29, 2014. Available at www.accp.com/docs/positions/misc/JCPP_Pharmacists_Patient_Care_Process.pdf. Accessed August 4, 2014.