Publications

Abstract : Innovation Clinical pharmacy is the most recent and radical approach towards medication and therapeutics, wherein the patient is provided with a whole new array of medication services and support. The pharmacist performs the clinical pharmacy services, apart from other non clinical and distributive services, both patient oriented and product oriented. Though the importance and necessity of this new role has been accepted and is very much in practice in USA, UK etc, unfortunately it has not taken root in our country. Clinical pharmacy education has come to a cross roads in India after ten years, and the educators are in a dilemma whether the course will develop into an industry oriented one or into a clinically relevant one with emphasize on patient care and support. Awareness has come on the medical side and the day is not far off in practicing this system of clinical pharmacy in the hospitals of India (1) . Modern clinical pharmacy practice in the hospital service has its roots in the mid -1960s. However, pharmacists have been practicing what is now called clinical pharmacy, for centuries. They did this first as apothecaries and later as chemists and druggists. Responding to symptoms appropriately and advising the patients on the correct use of their medicines also come under the basic clinical functions. However, until recently there was reluctance on the part of the medical professionals to accept that pharmacists had a clinical role. There was also reluctance from some pharmacists' to further develop their clinical role. There can be little doubt now that the evolution of hospital based