Ambulatory Care Research Paper

An ambulatory care pharmacist works closely with a medical team in order to provide the best course of therapy for a patient managing a chronic disease state. Ambulatory care caters to patients that are able to arrive at a clinic by their own means, in order to see a physician. Upon arrival at the clinic they are seen by a team of health professionals, including a pharmacist. Pharmacists assist physicians with medication information, checking for drug interactions, and recommending an alternative course of therapy when the current therapy is too expensive or is hard for the patient to maintain (Urbine, Link, Schneider, Schmitz, and Kistler, 2012). Ambulatory care pharmacist work closely with patients suffering from chronic disease states,
such as diabetes. A study conducted over a two-year period encompassed type 2 diabetics with different lifestyle choices, age, and exhibiting varying degree in their disease progression. The study monitored changes in A1C levels in an effort to determine the impact a pharmacist has on patient health. The studies control group had no interaction with a pharmacist whereas the experimental group met with a pharmacist in addition to a dietitian and primary care provider. The pharmacist met with patients once every three months for an hour long session to discuss management based on ADA guidelines for diabetes patients, medication consoling, and education. The final result showed that by adding a pharmacist to the team there was a mean reduction in A1C from 7.6% to 7.1% (Standing, Herrmann, Walters, Destache, and Chock, 2009). Ambulatory care pharmacists cultivate well-founded patient relationships, focus on advancing specialized knowledge, as well as working with a team to help the patient reach a goal, and being in a clinical setting.