A textbook of Pharmacy Practice

I Patel¹, J Chang¹, R Balkrishnan²,  
¹ Department of Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Center for Medication Use, Policy, and Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
² Department of Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Center for Medication Use, Policy, and Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI;Department of Health Management and Policy, and Center for Global Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

Correspondence Address:
I Patel
Department of Clinical, Social and Administrative Sciences, College of Pharmacy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI; Center for Medication Use, Policy, and Economics, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI
USA

Full Text

[AUTHOR:1]K.G. Revikumar, B.D. Miglani

Publishers: Career Publications, 1 st Edition, 2009, ISBN 978-81-88739-50-9 (paperback) and 978-81-88739-57-8 (hard-bound), pp. 554.

The profession of pharmacy is expanding in India and a pharmacist's role is transitioning from medicine supply toward more intensive patient care. Three years ago, some universities in India changed from the classic BPharm degree to PharmD. The new PharmD degree promises the much awaited and missing practical experience to the pharmacy students. As more and more universities introduce the PharmD degree, the demand for the related academic resources among students and teachers will also increase. Amidst numerous pharmacy books, there are few academic resources providing a practical outlook about "Pharmacy Practice" in India. Dr. K.G. Revikumar and Dr. B.D. Miglani have attempted to fill this niche by providing a resourceful insight about the profession of pharmacy practice in India in their book "A textbook of Pharmacy Practice". The first edition of the book, published in September 2009, has 12 chapters covered in 554 pages. Out of the 12 chapters, three chapters focus on community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and clinical pharmacy. The remaining nine chapters provide comprehensive information on a variety of topics such as Indian hospital structure, medication errors, adverse drug events and pharmacovigilance, drug supply chain, patient counseling and medication compliance, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics, pharmacy practice research, and ethics in pharmacy practice. The book is structured in two parts. The first part of the book equips the reader with a plethora of information on the different areas in pharmacy practice. The second part of the book presents social, economic, and structural and research based tools to perform evidence-based practice in community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and clinical pharmacy.

The chapters on community pharmacy, hospital pharmacy, and clinical pharmacy are enriched with information about the inception and development of each one of them in India, their structural and functional classification, the current trends, comparative differences in practice patterns in India versus the developing countries and areas of improvement for Indian pharmacy practitioners. The chapter on hospital pharmacy clearly reflects a goldmine of Dr. Miglani's experience who has played a key role in the development of hospital pharmacy in India. The second part of book introduces the fairly recent five patient centered concepts of medication errors, adverse drug reactions and pharmacovogilance, patient counseling and compliance, pharmacoepidemiology, pharmacoeconomics and quality of life (QOL), which have been introduced in the field of pharmacy in India for last four to five years. Information about each of these concepts and their relevance to pharmacy profession in India are conveyed in individual chapters. These concepts are vital in developing good pharmacy practices and producing "seven star pharmacists", a concept introduced by WHO in 2000 for fulfilling the seven roles (caregiver, decision maker, communicator, manager, lifelong learner, teacher, leader and researcher). A special mention must be made about the case studies enumerating real-life situations mentioned at the end of the chapters. The case studies help the readers to apply the newly acquired knowledge and problem-solving skills to a variety of complex issues.

The chapter on research in health sciences and pharmacy practice is a starter's guide for research naοve readers. It provides a very comprehensive account of the different components and steps involved in writing a research proposal, research paper, and a PhD thesis in the field of pharmacy practice and other disciplines. The last chapter on professional ethics in pharmacy practice elaborates on professional and situational ethics with an emphasis on the relevant ethical conduct, responsibilities and duties expected from a professional pharmacy practitioner. The attempt of the authors to walk the readers through the past, present and the future of the profession of Pharmacy Practice in India has met with success and is worth applause. The book has been written with veritable expertise with the provision of practical tools and knowledge to foster better understanding of pharmacy practice by PharmD students and pharmacists alike. We believe that this textbook is an absolute must for pharmacy students, educators, and researchers in India.