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John P. Rovers, Jay D. Currie, A Practical Guide to Pharmaceutical Care: A

Clinical Skills Primer

Article  in  International Journal of Clinical Pharmacy · October 2008

DOI: 10.1007/s11096-008-9222-7

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J.W.Foppe Van Mil

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Pharm World Sci (2008) 30:620
DOI 10.1007/s11096-008-9222-7

BOOK REVIEW

John P. Rovers, Jay D. Currie, A Practical Guide

to Pharmaceutical Care: A Clinical Skills Primer
American Pharmacist Association, 2007, Price US $39.95, ISBN 978-158212-104-B

J. W. F. van Mil

Published online: 29 April 2008

Ó Springer Science+Business Media B.V. 2008

This is the third edition of the AphA practical Pharmaceutical
Care Guide. The book has changed slightly in comparison with
the first editions. The previous editions focussed on the concept
of pharmaceutical care, and the required shift of focus in the
community pharmacies.
This third edition is more clinically orientated, and the
practice setting also has moved towards more clinical. In
the mean time it has also become a kind of a textbook for
pharmacy students.
Yet, it remains important to see the book in the American
context, where pharmaceutical care is almost considered to
be a whole new and dedicated field of patient care. In that
concept the pharmacist has a direct therapeutic relationship
with the patient; in the absence of that relationship, there can
be no pharmaceutical care. Additionally, the authors have
defined that there is a limited amount of five defined patient
drug related needs (appropriate indication, effectiveness,
safety, compliance and untreated indication) and seven
possible drug-related problems (unnecessary drug therapy,
wrong drug, dosage too low, adverse drug reaction, dosage
too high, inappropriate compliance, and need for additional
drug therapy), called drug-therapy problems. The book also
provides a number of data-collection forms that can be used
within that context.
Although this approach is very practical, and helps
students to understand the process and patient needs, it is
also very limiting. Is there only ‘one way to heaven’? The
approach makes the book of little use to people in other
countries and health care systems. Where do pharmacists
have access to laboratory-data? Who is to provide the
indications for drug use in a middle-west village? And
most importantly, can one indeed not provide pharmaceu-
tical care if you do not have such data?
The examples used throughout the book are quite clin-
ical. In what settings and countries can we find ‘clinics’ for
chronic diseases with dedicated pharmacists? I do even
wonder if the method that is being taught can be applicable
in every corner of the United States.
Apart from my personal disagreement with the approach
used and the narrow view on the concept of pharmaceutical
care, I must acknowledge that the book can be very helpful
to understand the philosophy of pharmaceutical care, and is
helpful in teaching the necessary skills to a select audience
that has access to clinical data. But users outside the United
States might become frustrated by the all or nothing
approach, and strict process methodology.

J. W. F. van Mil (&)

Zuidlaren, The Netherlands
e-mail: jwfvmil@planet.nl

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