Standards of Practice

for Clinical Pharmacists

American College of Clinical Pharmacy

II. Process of Care

This document sets forth ACCPs expectations for clinical pharmacists within the United States and countries
around the world where clinical pharmacy is emerging.
It is also intended to serve as a reference for those designing and assessing clinical pharmacy education and
training programs. In addition to articulating the clinical
pharmacists process of care and documentation, the
eight standards below address the clinical pharmacists
involvement in collaborative, team-based practice and
privileging; professional development and maintenance
of competence; professionalism and ethics; research
and scholarship; and other professional responsibilities.
The standards define for the public, health professionals, and policy-makers what they can and should expect
of clinical pharmacists.

Clinical pharmacists work in collaborationa with other

providers to deliver comprehensive medication management that optimizes patient outcomes. Care is coordinated among providers and across systems of care as
patients transition in and out of various settings.
The clinical pharmacists process of care comprises the
following components.
A. Assessment of the patient
The clinical pharmacist assesses medicationrelatedb needs by:
Reviewing the medical record using a problemoriented framework (e.g., interpreting and analyzing subjective and objective information) to
determine the clinical status of the patient;
Meeting with the patient/caregivers to obtain
and document a complete medication history to
identify all of the patients current medicationsc
(including regimens and administration routes),
medication-taking behaviors, adherence, allergies, and attitudes and experiences with medication therapyd;
Obtaining, organizing, and interpreting patient
data; and
Prioritizing patient problems and medication-related
needs.

I. Qualifications
Clinical pharmacists are practitioners who provide comprehensive medication management1 and related care
for patients in all health care settings. They are licensed
pharmacists with specialized advanced education and
training who possess the clinical competencies necessary to practice in team-based, direct patient care environments.2,3 Accredited residency training or equivalent
post-licensure experience is required for entry into direct patient care practice. Board certification is also required once the clinical pharmacist meets the eligibility
criteria specified by the Board of Pharmacy Specialties
(BPS).4

Collaboration in the context of this document refers to collaborative and cooperative practice activities performed by the clinical pharmacist as authorized by 1) state practice acts and 2) formal collaborative drug therapy management agreements with other providers and/
or conferred by local privileging within the relevant practice, health system, organization, or institution.

Medication-related applies to issues pertaining to 1) the indication/absence of indication, use and administration, therapeutic goals,
adverse drug events, drug interactions, and monitoring of medications; 2) the patients adherence, attitudes, beliefs, and preferences regarding his/her medications; and 3) any allergies or adverse reactions to medications.

Medications are defined as any of the following: prescription drugs, non-prescription drugs, vaccines, or complementary and alternative medications.

Some patient conditions and clinical settings (e.g., in an intensive care unit, mental health facility, or emergency department) may render
this activity unfeasible.

Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacists

American College of Clinical Pharmacy

B. Evaluation of medication therapy

The clinical pharmacist identifies strategies to
optimize medication therapy by:
Assessing, with other members of the health care
team, the appropriateness of current medications
on the basis of health conditions, indication, and the
therapeutic goals of each medication;
Evaluating the effectiveness, safety, and affordability
of each medication;
Assessing medication-taking behaviors and adherence to each medication; and
Identifying medication-related problems and evaluating collaboratively with other members of the
health care team the need for intervention.

meeting with the patient/caregivers to obtain

an updated medication history to identify, assess, and document any new medication-related
needs or problems;
Conducting ongoing assessments and refining the
plan of care to optimize medication therapy and
ensure that individual goals are achieved; and
Monitoring, modifying, documenting, and managing the plan of care in collaboration with the
patient/caregivers and his/her other health care
providers.

III. Documentation
Clinical pharmacists document directly in the patients
medical record the medication-related assessment and
plan of care to optimize patient outcomes. This documentation should be compliant with the accepted standards for documentation (and billing, where applicable)
within the health system, health care facility, outpatient
practice, or pharmacy in which one works. Where applicable, accepted standards must be considered as they
relate to the use of electronic health records (EHRs),
health information technology and exchange systems,
and e-prescribing.

C. Development and implementation of a plan of care

The clinical pharmacist develops and implements,
collaboratively with the patient and his/her health care
providers, a plan for optimizing medication therapy by:
Reviewing the patients active medical problem list
to inform and guide the development of an individualized assessment and plan for optimizing medication therapy;
Formulating a comprehensive medication management assessment and plane in collaboration with
the health care team and implementing this plan to
achieve patient-specific outcomes;
Educating the patient/caregivers (both verbally and
in writing) to ensure understanding of the care plan,
to optimize adherence, and to improve therapeutic
outcomes; and
Establishing patient-specific measurable parameters and time frames for monitoringf and follow-up
in collaboration with other members of the health
care team.

The following components of the encounter are essential to include in the documentation, which may be communicated in the form of a traditional SOAP (subjective
data, objective data, assessment, plan) note or other
framework consistent with the standards of documentation within the practice setting.
A. Medication history
A brief summary of the patients past medication
use and related health problems as an introduction to the documentation that will follow;
A listing of all current medications that includes
information regarding actual use, adherence, and
attitudes toward therapy; and
A listing of medication-related allergies and any
adverse drug events that may affect prescribing
and monitoring or preclude the future use of a
medication.

D. Follow-up evaluation and medication monitoring

The clinical pharmacist performs follow-up evaluations
in collaboration with other members of the health care
team to continually assess patient outcomes by:
Coordinating with other providers to ensure that patient follow-up and future encounters are aligned with
the patients medical and medication-related needs;
Revisiting the medical record to obtain updates
on the clinical status of the patient and then

A comprehensive medication management plan relies on coordinated, team-based collaboration to initiate, modify, monitor, and/or
discontinue medication therapy. Implementation of components of this plan may be delegated to the clinical pharmacist through a collaborative drug therapy management agreement or other formalized management protocol.

In many settings, the clinical pharmacist will use tools that facilitate his/her monitoring of the patient (e.g., monitoring forms, flow
sheets, and other aids to closely track and organize patient-specific data and/or data sets).

Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacists

American College of Clinical Pharmacy

B. Active problem list with assessment of each problem

A listing of current health conditions and supporting data for the status of each condition, emphasizing associated medications and medication-related problems that may have an impact
on desired goals; and
A listing of any additional medication-related
problems or other medical issues that may be unrelated to current health conditions.

B. Consistent participation in continuing professional

development (CPD) activities that enhance direct
patient care practice abilities; and
C. Maintenance of active licensure, including required
continuing pharmacy education activities, through
the appropriate state board(s) of pharmacy.
Clinical pharmacists also pursue professional and career
development by participating in formal and informal activities that enhance research and scholarship, teaching,
leadership, and/or management.

C. Plan of care to optimize medication therapy and

improve patient outcomes
The specific medication therapy plan that has been
or will be implemented collaboratively by the health
care team, including drug, dose, route, frequency,
and relevant monitoring parameters; and
The collaborative plan for follow-up evaluation
and monitoring as well as future visits.

VI. Professionalism and Ethics

Clinical pharmacists have a covenantal, fiducial relationship with their patients. This relationship relies on
the trust placed in the clinical pharmacist by the patient
and the commitment of the clinical pharmacist to act in
the best interest of individual patients and patient populations, within the context of legal and ethical parameters. Clinical pharmacists exhibit the traits of professionalism: responsibility, commitment to excellence, respect
for others, honesty and integrity, and care and compassion.7 They subscribe to the pharmacy professions code
of ethics and adhere to all pharmacist-related legal and
ethical standards.

IV. Collaborative, Team-Based Practice and

Privileging
Clinical pharmacists work with other health professionals
as members of the health care team to provide high-quality, coordinated, patient-centered care.5 They establish written collaborative drug therapy management (CDTM) agreements with individual physicians, medical groups, or health
systems and/or hold formally granted clinical privileges from
the medical staff or credentialing system of the organization
in which they practice.4 These privileging processes, together with the applicable state pharmacy practice act, confer
certain authorities, responsibilities, and accountabilities to
the clinical pharmacist as a member of the health care team
and contribute to the enhanced efficiency and effectiveness
of team-based care.

VII. Research and Scholarship

Clinical pharmacists support and participate in research
and scholarship to advance human health and health
care by developing research questions; conducting or
participating in clinical, translational, and health services research; contributing to the evolving literature in evidence-based pharmacotherapy; and/or disseminating
and applying research findings that influence the quality of patient care.

V. Professional Development and

Maintenance of Competence
Clinical pharmacists maintain competence in clinical problem-solving, judgment, and decision-making; communication and education; medical information evaluation and
management; management of patient populations; and a
broad range of therapeutic knowledge domains.6 Clinical
pharmacists maintain competency through:

VIII. Other Responsibilities

Clinical pharmacists serve as direct patient care providers, but they may also serve as educators, researchers,
clinical preceptors/mentors, administrators, managers,
policy developers, and consultants. As the clinical pharmacy discipline grows, it must continue to familiarize
more patients, families, caregivers, other health professionals, payers/insurers, health care administrators, students, and trainees with the full range of clinical pharmacists responsibilities.

A. Certification and maintenance of certification in

the appropriate specialty relevant to their practice,
including those specialties recognized by the Board
of Pharmacy Specialties (BPS) or other nationally
recognized multiprofessional certifications;

Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacists

American College of Clinical Pharmacy

References
1. Patient-Centered Primary Care Collaborative.
The patient-centered medical home: integrating
comprehensive medication management to optimize
patient outcomes resource guide, 2nd edition.
Washington, DC: Patient-Centered Primary Care
Collaborative; 2012. Available from http://www.pcpcc.
org/sites/default/files/media/medmanagement.pdf.
Accessed March 24, 2014.
2. Mitchell P, Wynia M, Golden R, McNellis B, Okun S,
Webb CE, et al. Core principles & values of effective
team-based health care. Washington, DC: Institute
of Medicine; 2012. Available from http://www.
nationalahec.org/pdfs/VSRT-Team-Based-CarePrinciples-Values.pdf. Accessed March 24, 2014.
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Available from http://www.accp.com/docs/positions/
commentaries/Clinpharmdefnfinal.pdf. Accessed
March 24, 2014.
4. American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Qualifications
of pharmacists who provide direct patient care:
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Accessed March 24, 2014.
5. Doherty RB, Crowley RA. Principles supporting dynamic
clinical care teams: an American College of Physicians
Position Paper. Ann Intern Med. Published online
17 September 2013 doi:10.7326/0003-4819-159-9201311050-00710. Available from http://annals.org/
article.aspx?articleid=1737233. Accessed March 24,
2014.

Standards of Practice for Clinical Pharmacists

6. Burke JM, Miller WA, Spencer AP, Crank CW, Adkins

L, Bertch KE, et al. Clinical pharmacist competencies.
Pharmacotherapy 2008;28(6):806-15. Available from
http://www.accp.com/docs/positions/whitePapers/
CliniPharmCompTFfinalDraft.pdf. Accessed March 24,
2014.
7. Roth MT, Zlatic TD. Development of student
professionalism. Pharmacotherapy 2009;29(6):74956. Available from http://www.accp.com/docs/
positions/whitePapers/devstuprof.pdf. Accessed
March 24, 2014.
March 2014
Copyright 2014 by the American College of Clinical
Pharmacy.
Cite as:
American College of Clinical Pharmacy. Standards of
Practice for Clinical Pharmacists. Pharmacotherapy
2014;34(8):794797. Available from http://www.accp.
com/docs/positions/guidelines/StndrsPracClinPharm_
Pharmaco8-14.pdf.
Access this version online at:
accp.com/standards

American College of Clinical Pharmacy