Pharmacists and Home Care: The Agency Perspective

Abstract

Early in its development, home care pharmacy focused on the provision and monitoring of intravenous medications. 1 – 3 Its role has expanded to include patient and health professional teaching, drug utilization reviews, and contributions to program and policy development. 3 , 4 There are few rigorous studies of the impact of home care pharmacy services, but existing studies do show that these services result in improved patient care and patient outcomes. 5 – 7 Consequently, the potential for pharmacists to play a needed role in home care provision, and communicate that value, is of interest to many health organizations.