Clinical pharmacy practice in Egyptian hospitals

The profession of pharmacy has undergone many changes in recent years, and clinical practice has emerged as an important area for pharmacists in healthcare settings. 1,–3 Clinical pharmacy practice emerged in the United States in the 1960s. 4 In the United Kingdom, clinical pharmacy practice emerged as a significant element of hospital pharmacy activity over the past 30 years. 5 The pharmacist is no longer confined to a dispensing role but now has many responsibilities, including the provision of consultative services to healthcare professionals and patient counseling. Despite the clinical focus of pharmacy education in developed countries, many developing countries follow an older model of pharmacy education focused on the study of chemistry and basic sciences. The evolution of clinical pharmacy practice has forced academic leaders and policymakers in many Arabic countries in the Middle East to adopt the clinical practice model to cope with the rapid advances in pharmacy education. 6 The role of the clinical pharmacist is continuing to grow in the Arabic countries, and clinical pharmacists must strive to acquire the clinical knowledge and skills required for their new clinical roles in delivering pharmaceutical care to meet patient expectations and health outcomes. The impact of clinical pharmacy services on humanistic (quality of life), clinical (medication therapy management), and economic (healthcare costs) outcomes is notable in the clinical practice setting. 7,8