Dear Colleagues:
The article titled “Pharmacy Vision and Trends Report Released” describes the international vision on three main pillars related to the practice of pharmacists: pharmacists providing value, interprofessional teams and collaborative practice, and new technologies. I urge all professional stakeholders to review the report and consider where they stand in achieving the various objectives and action plans proposed in the report.
The title featured in the Book Highlights section of the issue, Nutritional/GI Care, reviews current evidence on common gastrointestinal and nutritional care. In addition, Nutritional/GI Care offers content of relevance to all pharmacists interested in drug information and electronic resources and reimbursement for clinical pharmacist services.
As I meet with many international colleagues who are leading key initiatives toward advancing pharmacy education and practice, I find that the need for a qualified workforce remains one of the main challenges in implementing and expanding high-quality clinical pharmacist education and services. Demand for the expertise necessary to deliver safe and effective patient care services further underscores the need for high-quality professional development programs. The symposium described in the article “ACCP International Symposium—Middle East Held This Past October in Dubai” is one example of such programs.
As the premier clinical pharmacy organization, ACCP continues to reach out to international colleagues to support efforts in advancing clinical pharmacy education, practice, and research. Professional organizations, health authorities, and institutions (educational and health care systems) interested in collaborating with ACCP on professional advancement programs that are tailored to the particular professional goals they have defined for their pharmacists can contact us at [email protected].
I hope that each of you find an opportunity for professional development among those featured in this issue of ACCP International Clinical Pharmacist that best suits your professional needs.
Sincerely,
Wafa Y. Dahdal, Pharm.D., BCPS