Gourley D R, Fitzgerald W L, Davis R L
University of Tennessee College of Pharmacy, Memphis 38163, USA.
Am J Manag Care. 1997 May;3(5):795-801; quiz 805-7.
Pharmacists are concerned with the rapid changes in the healthcare system and what the requirements will be for a pharmacist in the near future. The emergence of board certification, credentialing, and other certification programs for pharmacists are causing significant concern among pharmacists. Pharmacists must assess certification programs and decide on the value of certification to their careers and to the patients they serve. Employers of pharmacists and those paying for healthcare and pharmacy services must also evaluate the value of pharmacists certification. Perhaps the most direct and significant benefit of pharmacist certification lies in the ability of the pharmacist to provide better and more comprehensive care to patients or selected groups of patients (eg, diabetic patients). Better and more comprehensive care provided by a pharmacist benefits the patient, other healthcare professionals, the healthcare system generally, and payers of healthcare and pharmacy services. Demonstrated competence of the pharmacist to provide pharmaceutical care is essential to achieving this benefit. Board certification of pharmacists in current board-recognized specialty areas of nutrition support pharmacy, pharmacotherapy, psychiatric pharmacy, nuclear pharmacy, and oncology pharmacy totaled 2075 board certified pharmacists in the United States as of January 1997.
药剂师们关注医疗保健系统的快速变化以及近期对药剂师的要求。药剂师委员会认证、资格认证及其他认证项目的出现，引发了药剂师们的重大担忧。药剂师必须评估认证项目，并确定认证对其职业以及所服务患者的价值。药剂师的雇主以及支付医疗保健和药房服务费用的各方，也必须评估药剂师认证的价值。或许，药剂师认证最直接且重要的益处在于，药剂师有能力为患者或特定患者群体（如糖尿病患者）提供更好、更全面的护理。药剂师提供的更好、更全面的护理，对患者、其他医疗保健专业人员、整个医疗保健系统以及医疗保健和药房服务的付费方都有益处。证明药剂师具备提供药学服务的能力，是实现这一益处的关键。截至1997年1月，在美国，目前经委员会认可的营养支持药学、药物治疗学、精神科药学、核药学和肿瘤药学等专业领域的药剂师委员会认证，共有2075名药剂师获得认证。
