Authors : Jasmine Dhiman; Samiksha Sharma; Sanjiv Duggal

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 5 - May

---

Google Scholar : https://rb.gy/0xu9ve

Scribd : https://tinyurl.com/422m2nty

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26May171

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

---

Abstract : Clinical pharmacy has become a crucial part of modern healthcare by improving the safe, effective, and rational use of medicines and enhancing overall patient outcomes. This review outlines its introduction, historical development, and present status in India, where its role is steadily expanding. It also emphasizes the important contributions of clinical pharmacists in promoting rational drug use, identifying and managing adverse drug reactions, and supporting evidencebased medical practice. Working in collaboration with healthcare teams, clinical pharmacists help optimize drug therapy and ensure patient safety. The article further discusses future scope and emerging opportunities in this field, especially in patient-centered care and the improvement of healthcare systems.

Keywords : Clinical Pharmacy, Rational Drug Use, Adverse Drug Reactions, Evidence-Based Medicine, Clinical Pharmacist, Healthcare System, Patient Care.

References :

1. American College of Clinical Pharmacy. The definition of Pharmacotherapy. clinical pharmacy. 2008;28(6):816-817. doi:10.1592/phco.28.6.816
2. Hepler CD, Strand LM. Opportunities and responsibilities in pharmaceutical care. Am J Hosp Pharm. 1990;47(3):533-543.
3. Pharmacy Council of India. Regulations for Doctor of Pharmacy (PharmD). New Delhi: PCI; 2008.
4. Basak SC, Sathyanarayana D. Pharmacy education in India. Am J Pharm Educ. 2010;74(4):68. doi:10.5688/aj740468
5. Choudhary RP, Siddalingegowda SM. Exploring the need and potential of ambulatory pharmacy practice for empowering patient and care delivery in India. Front Health Serv. 2024; 4:1399621.
6. Prince BS, Goetz CM, Rihn TL, Olsky M. Drug-related treated with intravenous aminophylline. Eur J Clin Pharmacol emergency department visits and hospital admissions. J Am 1980; 18: 473–475. Hosp Pharm 1992; 49: 1696–1700.
7. Hallas J, Gram LF, Grodum E, et al. Drug-related admissions to medical wards: a population-based survey. Br J Clin Phamacol 1992; 33: 61–68.
8. Pirmohamed M, Breckenridge M, Kitteringham NR, Park BK. Adverse drug reactions. Br Med J 1998; 316: 1295–1298.
9. Schneider PJ, Gift M. Cost of medication errors. Int Pharm J 1996; 10 (Suppl): S1–11.
10. Einarson TR. Drug-related hospital admissions. Ann Pharmacother 1993; 27: 832–840.
11. Neville RG, Robertson F, Livingstone S, Crombie IK. A classification of prescription errors. J Roy Coll Gen Pract 198939: 110–112.
12. Zermansky A. Who controls repeats? Br J Gen Pract 1996; 46:643–647.
13. Harris CM. The scale of repeat prescribing. Br J Gen Pract 1996; 46: 649–653.
14. Brodie DC, Parish PA, Poston JW. Societal Needs for Drugs and Drug Related Services. Am J Pharm Ed 1980; 44:276–278.
15. Pharmacy Act, 1948. Government of India.
16. Sheth PD, Reddy MVS, Pabrai PR, et al. Challenges and Opportunities for Pharmacists in Health Care in India. SEARPharm Forum in collaboration with WHO-India Country Office; 2007.
17. Jishnu V, Gilhotra RM, Mishra DN. Pharmacy education in India: Strategies for a better future. J Young Pharm. 2011;3(4):334-342. doi:10.4103/0975-1483.90247
18. Bhagavathula AS, Sarkar BR, Patel I. Clinical pharmacy practice in developing countries: Focus on India and Pakistan. Arch Pharm Pract. 2014;5(2):91-94. doi:10.4103/2045 080X.132661
19. Deshpande PR, Vantipalli R, Chaitanya Lakshmi CH, et al. Clinical pharmacists: The major support to Indian healthcare system in near future. J Pharm Bioallied Sci. 2015;7(3):161 174. doi:10.4103/0975-7406.160005
20. Pharmacy Council of India. Approved Institutions for PharmD. Accessed August 20, 2025. https://www.pci.nic.in/
21. Hathi Committee Report. Government of India; 1975.
22. Indian Pharmaceutical Association. TB Fact Card Project. 2005.
23. National Rural Health Mission. Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India; 2005.
24. Jose Subin A, Chandran CS, Thomas A, Ramesh TCS. Professional competency and challenges of clinical pharmacists in India: An assessment among the Pharm.D. graduates. Pharm Educ. 2022;22(1):249-256. doi:10.46542/pe.2022.221.249256
25. Jose J, Saravu K. Clinical Pharmacists as Potential Contributors in Reducing Drug Related Problems in Daily Practice: A Glance at Indian Setup. J Datta Meghe Inst Med Sci Univ. 2022;17(4):1031-1033. doi:10.4103/jdmimsu.jdmimsu_167_21
26. Ramesh M, Parthasarathi G. Adverse drug reactions reporting: Attitudes and perceptions of medical practitioners. Asian J Pharm Clin Res. 2009;2(2):10-14.
27. Adiga S, Adiga S. Lessons Pharmacy Practice in India Should Adopt From Advanced Nations: A Review. Cureus. 2024;16(8):e67350. doi:10.7759/cureus.67350
28. Basak SC, Van Mil JW, Sathyanarayana D. The changing roles of pharmacists in community pharmacies: Perception of reality in India. Pharm World Sci. 2009;31(6):612 618. doi:10.1007/s11096-009-9307-y
29. Kotakonda HK, Kotakonda M. Challenges and Opportunities for Pharmacists in Health Care in India. Indian J Pharm Pract. 2014;7(2):1-5.
30. Medscape Mobile. Available from: http://www.medscape.com/ public/mobileapp. [Last accessed on 2011 Nov 20].
31. Thomson Reuters, Healthcare App Shelf. Available from” http://www. healthcare.thomsonreuters.com/micromedexMobile/. [Last accessed on 2011 Nov 20].
32. Dooley M, Bogovic A, Carroll A, Cuell S, Galbraith K, Matthews H. SHPA standards of practice for clinical pharmacy. J Pharm Pract Res 2005;35:122‑46. Available on: http://www.shpa.org.au/lib/pdf/ practice_standards/clinical_pharm_ro.pdf. [Last cited on 2011 Jul 20].
33. Jain S, Basu S, Parmar VR. Medication errors in neonates admitted in intensive care unit and emergency department. Indian J Med Sci 2009;63:145‑51.
34. Joyce AW, Sunderland VB, Burrows S, McManus A, Howat P, Maycock B. Community pharmacy’s role in promoting healthy behaviours. J Pharm Pract Res 2007;37:42‑4.
35. Basak SC, Sathyanarayana D. Community pharmacy based research activity in India: A bibliometric study of the past ten years. South Med Rev 2010;3:7‑10. 33.
36. Association of Community Pharmacists of India. Available from: http://www.acpi.in/index.htm. [Last accessed on 2014 Apr 26].
37. Management Sciences for Health. Managing Drug Supply. West Hartford, Connecticut, USA: Kumarian Press, 1997.
38. Grand le A, Sri-Ngernyuang L and Streefland PH. Enhancing appropriate drug use: the promotion of herbal medicine promotion. Social Science and Medicine 1993; 36(8): 1023–35.
39. Hardon AP. The use of modern pharmaceuticals in a filipino village: doctors’ prescription and self-medication. Social Science and Medicine 1987; 25(3): 277–92.
40. Trostle J. The history and meaning of patient compliance as an ideology. In: Gochman DS (ed). The handbook of health behaviour research. Vol. II. New York: Plenum, forthcoming.
41. Homes N and Ugalde A. Patients’ compliance with medical treatments in the Third World. What do we know? Health Policy and Planning 1993; 8: 291.
42. Haak. H. Pharmaceuticals in two Brazilian villages: lay practices and perceptions. Social Science and Medicine 1988; 27(12): 1415–27.
43. Wondergem PA, Senah KA and Glover EK. Ghana: an assessment of the relevance of herbal drugs in PHC and some suggestions for strengthening PHC. Amsterdam: Royal Tropical Institute, 1989.
44. Geest vd S and Whyte SR. (eds). The context of medicines in developing countries. Studies in pharmaceutical anthropology. Het Spinhuis, 1991.
45. Etkin NL and Tan ML (eds). Medicines: meanings and contexts. HAIN, 1994.
46. Hardon AP. Confronting ill health. Medicines, selfcare and the poor in Manila. Quezon City, Health Action Information Network. 1991. 35
47. Garner P, Kale R, Dickson R, Dans T and Sakinas R. Implementing research findings in developing countries. British Medical Journal 1988; 317: 531–5.
48. Haaijer-Ruskamp FM, Denig P. New approaches to influencing physicians drug choices: the practice based strategy. In: Davis P (ed). Contested Ground. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996.
49. Paredes P, de la Pena M, Flores-Guerra E, Diaz J and Trostle J. Factors influencing physicians prescribing behaviour in the treatment of childhood diarrhoea: knowledge may not be the clue. Social Science and Medicine 1996; 42(8): 1141–53.
50. Chirac P, Pikon A, Poinsignon Y, and Vitry A. Drug marketing in French speaking African countries. Social Science and Medicine 1993; 36(12): 1541–3.
51. Ohene Manu KA. The dangers associated with the misuse of antibiotics and how best to educate the general public as phar macists. The Ghana Pharmaceutical Journal, 1975: 70–72.
52. Rhashid HU, Chowdhury SAR and Islam N. Patterns of anti biotic use in two teaching hospitals. Tropical Doctor 1986; 16(4): 152–4.
53. Taylor HG, Stein CM and Jongeling G. Drug use before hospital admission in Zimbabwe. European Journal of Clinical Pharma cology 1988; 34(10): 87–90.
54. Hossein MM, Glass RI and Khan MR. Antibiotic use in a rural community in Bangladesh. International Journal of Epidemiol ogy 1982; 11(4): 402–5.
55. Kunin CM. The responsibility of the infectious disease com munity for the optimal use of antimicrobial agents. Journal of Infectious Diseases 1985; 151(3): 388–98.
56. Drug Study Group. The hazardous consumption of Aspirin, Paracetamol and Caffeine (APC) drugs in Thailand. Bangkok, Thailand. Unpublished. 1978.
57. Reeler AV. Injections: a fatal attraction. Social Science and Medi cine 1990; 31(10): 1119–25.
58. Wyatt HV. The popularity of injections in the third world: origins and consequences for poliomyelitis. Social Science and Medi cine 1984; 19(9): 911–5.
59. Nebeker  Jonathan  R.,  Clarifying  Adverse  Drug  Events:  A  Clinician’s  Guide  to  Terminology,  Documentation,  and  Reporting. Ann Intern Med 2005; 142: 795‐801.
60. Rawlins  MD,  Thompson  JW.  Pathogenesis  of  adverse  drug  reactions.  In:  Davies  DM,  ed.  Textbook  of  adverse  drug  reactions. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1977; 10
61. American  Society  of  Health‐System  Pharmacists,  ASHP  guidelines on adverse drug reaction monitoring and reporting.  Am J Health‐Syst Pharm 1995; 52: 4179.
62. Bates  DW,  Leape  LL,  Cullen  DJ,  et  al.  Effects  of  computerized physician order entry and a team intervention on prevention of serious medication errors JAMA 1998; 280(15): 1311‐16.
63. Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL. The practice of medicine. In: Braunwald E, Fauci AS, Kasper DL, Hauser SL, Longo DL, Jameson JL, eds. Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine. Vol 1. 15th ed. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2001:1-5.
64. Evidence-Based Working Group. Evidence-based medicine: a new approach to teaching the practice of medicine. JAMA. 1992;268:2420-25.
65. MulrowCDCookDJDavidoffFSystematic reviews: critical links in the great chain of evidenceAnn Intern Med199712653893919054284
66. UmanLSSystematic reviews and meta analysesJ Can Acad Child Adolesc Psychiatry2011201575921286370
67. Gazette Notification on “Minimum Qualification for Teachers in Pharmacy Institutions Regulation; 2014. Pharmacy Council of India. Available from: http://www.pci.nic.in/Circulars/Teachers%20 Education%20Regulation.pdf. [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 18].
68. Sharma S. How to become a competent medical writer? Perspect Clin Res 2010;1:33‑7.
69. What is Medical Coding? AAPC (American Academy of Professional Coders). Available from: https://www.aapc.com/medical‑coding/ medical‑coding.aspx. [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 18].
70. What is Medical Billing? (American Academy of Professional Coders). Availablefrom: https://www.aapc.com/medical‑billing/medical‑billing. aspx. [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 18].
71. AHDI Answers Frequently Asked Questions About Medical Transcription. AHDI (Association of Healthcare Documentation Integrity). Available from:http://www.ahdionline.org/VisitorCenter/MTsPartnersInMedicalCommunication/ AHDIAnswersFAQsAboutMedicalTranscription/tabid/243/Default. aspx. [Last accessed on 2015 Feb 18].
72. Pharmacovigilance. Essential Medicines and Health Products. World Health Organization. Available from: http://www.who.int/medicines/ areas/quality_safety/safety_efficacy/pharmvigi/en/.