Long term care for the elderly : the role for pharmacists

Abstract

Consultant pharmacy represents a branch of the profession that has almost become synonymous with nursing homes in the USA. This is largely due to the legal framework that surrounds nursing home care in the USA and the requirement for pharmacy review of medication in this setting. However, consultant pharmacy has been in existence for almost 30 years and had its roots in community practice; today, a consultant pharmacist is defined as a practitioner who provides services to long-term care facilities on a contractual basis. This paper provides an overview of this type of pharmacy practice, the current delivery of consultant pharmacy services in the USA and lessons for the international pharmacy profession.peer-reviewe