Pharmaceutical care in community pharmacies: Practice and research in Peru

OBJECTIVE: To describe the current and possible future development of pharmaceutical care activities and research in healthcare settings in Peru. FINDINGS: Pharmaceutical care has developed slowly in Peru because, until recently, clinical practice never was part of community or hospital pharmacy practice. Some activities of the Ministry of Health, schools of pharmacy, pharmacy organizations, and individual pharmacists, including changes in legislation, are now creating the opportunity to develop pharmaceutical care practice. The implementation of pharmaceutical care in different settings will follow, based on the legislation and experiences of the pharmacists involved. DISCUSSION: The 2004 legislative changes in Peru in the field of drug regulation and the health system create more opportunities for pharmacists to be active in providing care to patients. To stimulate the provision of care, programs of formal training are offered by universities, but more pharmacists need to participate in these courses. As long as pharmacists are absent from their pharmacies (their presence is required by law), little can be expected. The development of interprofessional collaboration in the Peruvian health system, currently non-existent, is also important. To improve the performance of the pharmaceutical care system, good relationships between teachers and practitioners must be stimulated. Such links are also essential for developing research into the impact of pharmaceutical care on clinical, economic, and humanistic outcomes of patient care. CONCLUSIONS: The pharmaceutical care movement is growing in Peru. The legislation now supports the provision of pharmaceutical care. A number of developments must be stimulated, such as protocol development, appropriate continuing education, different kinds of networking, and remuneration procurement for care provision. When these successfully evolve, pharmaceutical care will become a professional aspect of the work of all pharmacists in Peru.