Drug Iatrogenesis and Clinical Pharmacy: The Mutual Fate of a Social Problem and a Professional Movement

Abstract

The controversial question of how much disease is caused by medical intervention goes to the heart of a social movement within the profession of pharmacy. The fate of “clinical pharmacy” is tied to the ability of pharmacists to detect and correct errors in prescribed medications, a potential source of iatrogenic disease. The dilemma for pharmacists is that documentation of their clinical activities could increase the liability exposure of medical organizations and impugn the reputations of physicians as competent prescribers of drugs. A participant observation study reveals how problems of drug therapy and the work of clinical pharmacists are negotiated within hospital settings.