Clinical pharmacists and basic scientists: do patients and physicians need this collaboration?

The aim of this commentary is to highlight the vital and beneficial role that pharmacists and inter-professional collaborative practice play in patient care from the economic, humanistic, efficacy, and safety perspectives. Pharmacists, particularly those with an in-depth knowledge of the basic pharmaceutical sciences, recognize the need to collaborate with other healthcare professions and understand the importance of combining all of the components of their education into a well-rounded, comprehensive clinical practice. Indeed, there is ample evidence in the literature that pharmacists equipped with a solid foundation in basic pharmaceutical science, coupled with clinical knowledge and skills can, more effectively, contribute to pharmacotherapy and patient care, particularly in a collaborative practice setting. Consequently, the burden on pharmacy education is to maintain its emphasis on the basic sciences while promoting the application of these sciences in clinical practice, in the Pharm. D. curriculum. This is a goal that can also be achieved through inter-professional educational approaches.