Keynote abstract
Medicines are the most common intervention made in health care today and continue to make a significant contribution to the prevention and management of a range of diseases and disorders throughout the world. However, selecting the most appropriate agent for an individual requires a detailed understanding of the pathophysiology of the disease, the pharmacology of the drugs available and, increasingly, of the various patient characteristics which allow optimal treatment to be prescribed and used. Although the application of evidence based medicine has attempted to ensure that only the most effective medicines are used, optimising drug use requires practitioners who can competently provide advice on all matters relating to drug use.
Clinical pharmacists continue to make an important contribution to the effective use of medicines so that, in the United Kingdom, they are now integral members of the health care team, working across a range of practice settings and patient groups. This engagement has raised the issue of competency and succession planning in order that consistent levels of service are delivered. The report, in 2001, by Professor Kennedy, relating to the quality of paediatric cardiac surgery in the Bristol area, highlighted some important issues relating to the quality of care provided to patients. The report emphasised the need for regulation aimed at maintaining the competence of health care professionals, the importance of periodic performance appraisal and the introduction of revalidation. These drivers for competence, coupled with an increasing well-informed and sceptical public, makes clear the need for a strategy that will develop pharmacists who are “fit for purpose”. This presentation will describe a strategy for measuring the competency of pharmacists using the General Level Framework (GLF), a system designed and tested in the UK to support the development and competence of pharmacists.
