Opportunities and Challenges in the New Emerging Role of Clinical Pharmacists in Ethiopia: Systematic Review

Abstract

Introduction: The availability of large number of medicines and the constant efflux of new information make them practically impossible for any health care professional to be updated in all aspects. This leads to the emergency of the concept of pharmaceutical care. The role of clinical pharmacists in the hospital setting have the potential to positively impact the quality of patient care and provide cost savings. Methods: A number of papers done in Ethiopia were used to see how pharmaceutical care is practiced in Ethiopia. Opportunities: Pharmaceutical care is given high value starting from our country’s health policy to stalk holders (hospitals, schools, other governmental and non-governmental institutions). The importance of pharmaceutical care services in saving lives and protecting public health is particularly relevant in resource-limited settings with a high prevalence of major medicine-treatable diseases and systems wide opportunities related to pharmaceutical care. Pharmaceutical care providers participate in ward rounds. Their clinical knowledge and skill has been improved and they have also trying to do more clinical based researches (complex case reports, drug therapy problem identification and intervention. Thus 'Clinical Pharmacists' is the heart of pharmaceutical care. Challenges: Resistance of health care professionals to work with Pharmaceutical Care providers, unable to uphold responsibilities in their job, unable to get benefits for their activity, inadequate clinical skills, almost no role and responsibility of clinical pharmacist (lecturers) in their university hospitals, curriculum related problem and lack of sufficient number of specialists pose challenge for the emerging role of pharmacists.