Main description:

Now fully updated for its fourth edition, Pharmacy: What It Is and How It Works continues to provide a comprehensive review of all aspects of pharmacy, from the various roles, pathways and settings of pharmacists to information about how pharmacy works within the broader health care system.

Beginning with a brief historical perspective on the field, the book discusses the many facets of the pharmacy profession. It describes the role of pharmacists in different settings and provides information ranging from licensing requirements to working conditions, highlighting the critical role of pharmacists within the health care system. The author examines the drug use process with sections on distribution, prescribing, dispensing, and pricing. He also discusses the role of pharmacy support personnel. A chapter on informatics explores how pharmacy has evolved through information technology and automation. Additional chapters cover poison control, pharmaceutical care, pharmacy organizations, the drug approval process, and career development.

Designed for classroom and professional use, the book contains numerous tools to facilitate comprehension, including:

Learning objectives to help readers focus on the goals of each chapter

Informative tables and figures summarizing data

Summary paragraphs tying in salient points

Discussion questions and exercises to test assimilation

"Challenges" which place the material in broader context

Websites and references to encourage further study

This valuable text provides a look into the profession that is both broad and deep, supplying a one-stop introduction to a promising career in pharmacy.

Contents:

Chapter 1 What Is Pharmacy?

Chapter 2 The Pharmacist

Chapter 3 Pharmacists and the Health Care System

Chapter 4 The Drug Use Process

Chapter 5 Pharmacy Supportive Personnel

Chapter 6 Pharmacy Informatics

Chapter 7 Pharmaceutical Care

Chapter 8 Ambulatory(Community)Pharmacy

Chapter 9 Health System Pharmacy

Chapter 10 Managed Care Pharmacy

Chapter 11 Home Health and Hospice Care Pharmacy

Chapter 12 Long-Term Care Pharmacy

Chapter 13 Government Pharmacy

Chapter 14 Drug Information and Poison Control

Chapter 16 Pharmacy Organizations

Chapter 17 How Drugs Are Discovered, Tested, and Approved

Chapter 18 The Pharmaceutical and Biotechnology Industry

Chapter 19 Other Opportunities for Pharmacists

Chapter 20 Career Development