Pharmacist Ted Sandoval Talks the Future of Pharmacy
Ted Sandoval | 25 January, 2024
Ted Sandoval on Pioneering Pharmacy Strategies for the 21st Century
As we approach the end of the first quarter of the 21st Century, forward-looking pharmacy leaders in the United States, and around the world, continue to search for methods that reduce drug distribution costs while improving medication workflow efficiency and medication safety.
The intent of these enormous drug distribution reorganization and improvement efforts, of course, is to free up human resources to allow pharmacists and pharmacy technicians to focus on improving clinical pharmacy excellence within their organizations.
Innovative Tools for Drug Distribution and Workflow Efficiency
Within this work, pharmacy leaders continue to examine, adopt, and implement, innovative software suites that utilize sophisticated inventory algorithms.
Leaders are also implementing sophisticated dispensing robotics, constructing, and operating strategically located Consolidated Service Centers.
Regardless, the lion share of this work is, of course, to continue to create innovative and cost-effective drug distribution methodologies, that directly support pharmacy clinical practices.
Leading the Way: Pharmacy's Technological Evolution
While researching clinical pharmacy trends, I was incredibly pleased to find a published article written by Barry L. Carter, Pharm.D., who at the time of publication, was a Patrick E. Keefe Professor of Pharmacy, Department of Pharmacy Practice and Science, at the University of Iowa.
This 2016 publication, “Evolution of Clinical Pharmacy in the US and Future Directions for Patient Care” is a fascinating review of 55 years of the history of clinical pharmacy in the United States.
In it, Dr. Carter describes many noteworthy events of clinical pharmacy development, which include key landmarks of pharmacy education, advances in resident training, innovative pharmacy clinical programs, while documenting many hospital pharmacy pioneers, providing interesting discussions of the significance of these innovations.
Discovering Dr. Barry L. Carter's Insights
I kindly suggest that you invest some of your time reading this document. I think you will find it informative, illustrative and instructive, as I did.
Lastly, I hope you will believe, as I do, that with continuous improvement and development of innovative distributive pharmacy practices, clinical pharmacy practice will continue to revolutionize and directly improve the quality of life for our patients while we provide the gift of health to all.
Imagine what the next 55 years will look like.
