Description

By Thomas D. Zlatic

In early 2011, ACCP issued a general call to pharmacists for papers that reflect on their role in patient care. Our goal was to stimulate a type of reflective inquiry that would enhance empathy for patients and elicit deeper bonds among practitioners. This goal is consistent with the imperative for practitioners to always show care and compassion for the patients they serve, as an essential ingredient of pharmacy’s continuing evolution as a health profession.Reflection in this volume refers to stories, particularly of patient encounters, that lead to complex insight and improved patient care. To demonstrate that such reflections can be valuable at all stages of education and practice, editors Thomas D. Zlatic and William A. Zellmer selected representative essays from senior professors and beginning faculty, pharmacy directors and new clinicians, preceptors and residents, Pharm.D. students, and pharmacists from industry and government. At all career levels, critical reflection on pharmacy situations can lead to greater clinician empathy for the patient and the development of a professional culture that values patient-centered care.Contents of the book include the following sections:INTRODUCTION: Reflection on the Mission of PharmacyTHE HUMAN CONDITION: The Joy and Pain of Patient InteractionAT THE COUNTER, BEDSIDE, AND BEYOND: Care in a Variety of SettingsCARE FROM THE OTHER SIDE OF THE COUNTER AND BEDSIDE: Pharmacists as Patients and CaregiversDIRE SITUATIONS: Care amid CatastropheCARE ACROSS CULTURES: Multicultural AwarenessTRUTH IN ACTION: Altruism and Justice in Pharmaceutical CareGOOD INTENTIONS ARE NOT ENOUGH: Learning from Our MistakesEDUCATIONAL CARE: Teaching, Mentoring, LearningPHARMACY PROSPECTS: Shaping the FutureRECOGNIZING LIMITATIONSHUMANIZING THE PROFESSIONCELEBRATING PHARMACYAPPENDIX: Reflection as a Learning StrategyThis book is intended for a variety of audiences: practitioners, educators, and students as well as perhaps patients, caregivers, and health care professionals who seek a better understanding of pharmacists and the roles they perform.For educators wishing to adopt the volume as a supplementary textbook, an appendix for using reflection as a learning strategy is included.