Gerard Q. de Guzman and Aleth Therese L. Dacanay
This study aims to assess and analyse the evolving roles of hospital pharmacists in the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union, particularly in the discipline of pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical care. A first set of questionnaires were distributed by chance sampling to pharmacists aged 21 – 30; pharmacists aged 31 and above, nurses and physicians to assess the progress of the practice of pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical care in 9 tertiary hospitals. A second set of questionnaires determined how nurses, physicians and out-patients evaluate pharmacists on their perceived roles in these 2 disciplines. The survey showed that older hospital pharmacists are more engaged in the disciplines of pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical care than their younger counterparts, nurses and physicians. The areas of greater significance include ADR monitoring, drug information dissemination, patient consultation, MH review and QA. Both groups of nurses and physicians are significantly satisfied with hospital pharmacists in delivering pharmacovigilance services and pharmaceutical care while out-patients are satisfied only with these pharmacists in rendering pharmaceutical care services. The perceived evolving roles of hospital pharmacists in Pangasinan and La Union in pharmacovigilance and pharmaceutical care have been identified and assessed and that the scope of their practice are relevant and show promise.
