Value of a Pharmacist on a Care Team

In an interview with Pharmacy Times®, Melissa Santibañez, PharmD, BCCCP, assistant professor at Nova Southeastern University College of Pharmacy, Fort Lauderdale, Florida; and critical care clinical pharmacist at Memorial Regional Hospital, Hollywood, Florida, discusses the value of a pharmacist on a patient care team.

The following is a partial transcript. View the video for the entire discussion.

Melissa Santibañez, PharmD, BCCCP: The pharmacist contributes more than just an understanding of brand and generics. It’s really a holistic view of the medication management process, and that’s what our specialized training is in, so it’s only natural, that’s our greatest contribution to the patient care team. Other individuals on an interprofessional care teams, they have an understanding of pharmacy and medications, but not the in-depth understanding that we have. We can point out key drug interactions to look out for, key monitoring parameters, and when to titrate or change medications to optimize patient care, and optimize patient outcomes.