Table 1 Comparison of 7 parameters of clinical pharmacy practice US vs. Israel, real world data
From: Clinical pharmacy in Israel versus the US, can we "compare apples to apples"?—commentary
Parameter | US [1] | Isarel |
|---|---|---|
1. Advance Degree, which is compatible with the skills required for the practice of clinical pharmacy | Pharm D | Pharm D—Hebrew University MSc (since 2008), Community Clinical Pharmacy & Regulatory Management—Ben Gurion University (Since 2019) |
2. Residency: The existence of postgraduate residency slots for pharmacists which are specifically intended to allow them to acquire and refine the skills necessary to practice | Yes | Hands-on training, continuing education courses. Internal training—No formal continuous academic education |
3. Credentialing: recognition of clinical pharmacy as a specialty within the pharmacy profession | Board certified pharmacotherapy and other specialty– 1/8 of all pharmacists in the US | No board certification but acknowledged as a specialty by the Ministry of Health in its definition of clinical pharmacy in 2002, and by job descriptions, depending on the employer: civil service and HMOs [2, 3] |
4. Supply: having enough clinical pharmacists to perform the work demanded of them | Continuous residency programs—approximately 5000 every year | Two programs aiming to meet the demand, with between 40 and 50 graduates every year (MSc and Pharm D) |
5. Scope of practice: a. Legal permission to practice semi-independently in a meaningful way b. Prescribing medications c. Ordering & interpreting labs & taking medication history d. Legal permission to bill | Practiced in the US | a. Currently most of the practice is under HMOs, while independent practice is legally allowed b. Dependent prescribing medications is allowed to all clinical pharmacists. Few medications are allowed to be prescribed with no prior physician authorizations c. Dependent on internal protocols per institution [4] d. When practicing privately, a pharmacist can bill |
6. Demand: demand by employers to hire and utilized clinical pharmacists fully | Practiced in the US | Such demand exists and is growing steadily, from handful at the beginning of the millennia to approximately 150 in 2021. (Currently all HMOs in Israel employ clinical pharmacists, as do most government owned hospitals, HMOs owned hospitals and some privately owned hospitals). Clinical pharmacists are also employed as QPPVs (qualified person for pharmacovigilance) in pharmaceutical companies |
7. Acceptance of the clinical pharmacist role by other medical professionals as part of the healthcare team | Practiced in the US | The clinical pharmacist role was acknowledged in the MOH director general circular issued to all organizations within the Israeli health system. [3] |