Vietnam: Clinical pharmacists shall exchange information with the medical doctors to optimize the drug use

Vietnam: Clinical pharmacists shall exchange information with the medical doctors to optimize the drug use (Internet image)

Article 6 of Circular 31/2012/TT-BYT stipulates that the clinical pharmacists in Vietnam shall visit the patients' rooms and analyze the drug use of such patients. Each hospital in Vietnam shall select the clinical department and the priority patients based on the hospital’s speciality, in order to carry out the clinical pharmacy activities. For each patient, the clinical pharmacist must perform the following four groups of tasks:

- Exploit information from the patient (including even exploiting information specified in the clinical record and start interviewing the patient about:

+ Drug use history.

+ Summary of the clinical data and the existing paraclinical results.

- Examine the drugs prescribed for the patients (during their visits to the patients' rooms with doctors, and examine the medical instructions specified in the medical records and prescriptions) about:

+ Indication

+ Contraindication.

+ Drug selection.

+ Drug instruction for the patient: dosage, frequency, route, if drugs are used for the special patient and time of use.

+ Drug interaction which requires attention.

+ Adverse reactions of drugs.

Note: After considering the drugs prescribed for patients, if any problem related to the use of drugs is detected, the clinical pharmacists shall exchange information with the medical doctors, in order to optimize the drug use and fill in the drug use analysis form for each patient (using the form in Appendix 2 (including Appendix 2A and Appendix 2B) hereto. In necessary cases, send a report to the Dean of the Pharmacy Department to receive directions.

- Provide drug instructions for nurses.

- Cooperate with the medical doctors to provide counseling for patients about the special attentions required while using drugs.

More details can be found in Circular 31/2012/TT-BYT, which comes into force from February 4, 2013.

Le Vy

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