Research in ambulatory pharmacy is needed because of changes in its organizational financing and patient population. With health care payers seeking to move patients out of hospitals and into less costly care environments, pharmacy must help discover how to care for this growing patient population effectively and efficiently. (MSE)

Only recently has emphasis been placed on pharmacy's role in public health planning, alongside other professional groups and government at all levels. The pharmaceutical profession is urged to join forces with these groups in the forefront of policy and program planning. (MSE)

Issues in the conflict between clinical practice and basic research in pharmacy are reviewed: professional associations' role, curriculum needs and traditions, internal strains and diversity in the profession, computer use, scholarly work of faculty, using the medical profession as a model, and misperceptions of what clinical and basic sciences…

The trend now driving American health care is that the payors are refusing to pay the true economic costs. Health care technology and the public's demand for it, the growth of managed care (Health Maintenance Organizations), and the need to increase the effectiveness of health care are affecting health care delivery. (MLW)

Suggestions are made for reducing tension between clinical practice and basic research segments of pharmacy: develop mutual respect among all faculty segments, combine research efforts, modify the reward system for greater equity, increase physical proximity, share experiences through clinics and forums, and combine realism with tradition. (MSE)

Cognitive, situational, legal, and attitudinal barriers to expanding the health care services offered by pharmacists are discussed. It is concluded that since pharmacists are the only health care professionals specializing in drugs and their proper use, the profession should maximize its contribution to society. (SF)

Pharmaceutical educators must begin to challenge the entrenched forms of pharmaceutical education and explore alternative teaching methods, including problem-based learning. (MSE)

It is proposed that more important than physical elements in the strain within the pharmacy profession are the perceptual elements: the consciousness of basic scientists with regard to clinical practitioners and vice versa. (MSE)

This conference paper discusses seven trends with implications for pharmacy: changing demographics (to a more elderly population), setting limits (health care costs), wellness and health promotion, organizational and structural changes in the health care industry, driving diseases (mental health, heart disease, AIDS), driving discoveries, and…

It is argued that the role of colleges in the effort to maximize pharmacy's contribution to society requires an emphasis on research in the pharmaceutical sciences, in the clinical use of drugs, and in the socioeconomic aspects of drug therapy. This will produce more qualified pharmacists and greater credibility for the profession. (JMD)

The impact of changing health care systems on the content of pharmaceutical education is examined, including the relationship between basic and applied sciences and between the applied sciences and skill and attitude formation, in both academic and clinical education. The role of pharmacy administration in the curriculum is discussed. (MSE)

Holism in health care, and specifically in pharmacy, are discussed, along with the views of patients and professionals concerning expanded pharmacists' roles, and the effects of those roles. In describing holism in health care, attention is directed to holism and several concepts: wellness versus the absence of disease; prevention; mind, body, and…

Requirements of research projects intended to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new or modified health-care-delivery arrangements are discussed. Included in the discussion are the peculiarities of evaluation research, issues that arise in the implementation of health-related programs and their evaluation, and the dissemination process. (JMD)

Conflicts between basic research and applied science segments of pharmacy are discussed, with special attention to traditional goals of teaching, research, and service and to improving relationships between these branches of the profession. Techniques already tried, such as peer review of grant proposals, and faculty nontenure "service track," are…

A chairman of pharmacy in a state university outlines obligations in reducing tensions within the profession: making teaching relevant to the product of the school--clinical pharmacists; making one's own expertise available to faculty to develop research projects; and insuring highest scientific quality of services. (MSE)