Online Clinical Pharmacy Service Desk, An Approach To Safe Guard The Patients From Drug Related Harms

About Myself : - Dear all, I would like to introduce myself as Dr. Barun Ranjan Sarkar,Pharm.D, R.Ph. (Regn. No. A001(R.Ph), West Bengal Pharmacy Council, India ) I, worked as an Assistant Professor cum Preceptor  of Clinical Pharmacy , Department of Clinical Pharmacy at College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia. There, I did a little bit  for my profession by engaging myself in Teaching & Learning process, but something was always there in my mind which made me upset and incomplete professionally .

  

So, after a long and deep thinking I realized, just getting salary and doing teaching & research activities at academic level for promotion, increment etc. should not be a limit of my professional practice, a day will come and I shall retire from my job. So, it should be even beyond all these aspects! Hence I decided to broaden my practice to a long range (May cover whole world one day, I hope so!) and which should be relevant to my professional practice area (Scientifically it is known as “Clinical Pharmacy Services”, In general it comprises of various clinical and non clinical activity revolving around a patient and the ultimate goal is to safe guard the Patient/Publics from drug related Harms. I am not here to define it theoretically, rather my work should define it in a broad spectrum!). Furthermore, rather than wasting my off time in social media for long hours, I can dedicate at least 1- 2 hours per day for it!

I hope it may be an indispensable help for someone in need at “free of cost” form my side.

Following are few philosophies of life and which motivates me a lot:-

****We cannot carry anything with us to hell or heaven after death, everything what we gained from here, we should let it here. So, I should return as much as possible to my profession what it gave to me up to now or till I am alive! Ultimately my profession means, to safe guard the public form Medication /Drug related harms *****  

**** Modern Hippocratic Oath **** 

I swear to fulfill, to the best of my ability and judgment, this covenant: I will respect the hard-won scientific gains of those physicians in whose steps I walk, and gladly share such knowledge as is mine with those who are to follow. I will apply, for the benefit of the sick, all measures which are required, avoiding those twin traps of over treatment and therapeutic nihilism. I will remember that there is art to medicine as well as science, and that warmth, sympathy, and understanding may outweigh the surgeon's knife or the chemist's drug. I will not be ashamed to say "I know not," nor will I fail to call in my colleagues when the skills of another are needed for a patient's recovery. I will respect the privacy of my patients, for their problems are not disclosed to me that the world may know. Most especially must I treat with care in matters of life and death. If it is given me to save a life, all thanks. But it may also be within my power to take a life; this awesome responsibility must be faced with great humbleness and awareness of my own frailty. Above all, I must not play at God. I will remember that I do not treat a fever chart, a cancerous growth, but a sick human being, whose illness may affect the person's family and economic stability. My responsibility includes these related problems, if I am to care adequately for the sick. I will prevent disease whenever I can, for prevention is preferable to cure. I will remember that I remain a member of society, with special obligations to all my fellow human beings, those sounds of mind and body as well as the infirm. If I do not violate this oath, may I enjoy life and art, respected while I live and remembered with affection thereafter. May I always act so as to preserve the finest traditions of my calling and may I long experience the joy of healing those who seek my help.

1.    What knowledge and skills I have to contribute for the general Publics/Patients?

           Following are some of my professional informations

TEACHING & CLINICAL PRACTICE EXPERIENCE

2013 To 2018

Ø  Almost five and half years of teaching and clinical preceptorship experience in College of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Ethiopia.

Ø Courses delivered for clinically oriented under graduate B.Pharm Program (5Years) includes: Pharmacotherapeutics, Drug Informatics  and Pharmacy Practice

Ø Course delivered for Post Graduate Clinical Pharmacy Program: -  Pharmacotherapeutics, Advanced Pharmaceutical Care and Drug Information and Literature Evaluation.

Ø     Supervised fifth year students for their academic research projects.

Ø   Contributed for the curriculum development of Post Graduate Clinical Pharmacy  program of Gondar University, Ethiopia.

Ø Examiner of Under Graduate & Post Graduate Clinical Pharmacy student’s research/Thesis.

Clinical activities performed till date

Ø  Precepted Clinical Pharmacy students in following specialties:-

1. Internal medicine          

2.  Chronic Disease OPD         

3. Orthopedics     

4. HIV Unit   

5. Surgery
6. Community Pharmacy  

Role & Responsibilities

Ø  Participation in ward rounds with Multidisciplinary team (Physician, Nurse and other health care professionals) to resolve drug therapy/ Treatment related complications, if any?

Ø  Treating the patients in collaboration with Specialist Doctors/General Practitioners in “Chronic OPD” (Consultation) of Gondar University Hospital.

Ø  Conducting Separate ‘Clinical Pharmacy Rounds” in Internal medicine Wards to critically evaluate the ongoing treatment of a patient and to provide necessary recommendation related to various treatment , disease , laboratory parameters and patient related issues.

Ø  Providing bedside teaching to undergraduate pharmacy students (Fourth and Fifth year in Internal Medicine specialty Ward).

Ø  Providing bedside teaching for Post Graduate (II) Clinical Pharmacy Students (Internal Medicine specialty Ward)

Ø  Precepteted Pharm.D students from U.S.A for their clinical attachment at Internal Medicine ward of  Gondar University Hospital, Ethiopia

2. How can I help the patients or general Publics based on my above mentioned teaching and clinical practice experience?

Following are the services i can provide for you:-

Ø  I can provide  authentic drug information to patients or general publics or health care professionals  based on their needs

Ø  I can critically evaluate/review the prescription/Treatment of a patient for various aspects (like whether the treatment is cost effective? Whether the treatment is appropriate? Is there any other best treatment available at current time based on recent medical research? Is there any unnecessary drug in the prescription? and many more) as I have sound knowledge of "Pharmacotherapy" and evidence based medicine.

Ø  I can provide counseling/ advise pertaining to the drugs being taken by the patient and his/her various disease conditions.

Ø  I can provide advice for “Medico legal Cases” focusing the medication/ drug misadventures ( Applicable in most of the countries)

Ø  Many more in due course of time. 


3. Things to be considered  before consulting me

Ø  I am not able to provide you emergency help/service, as I am  parallelly  engaged in Teaching & Clinical practice at University Hospital ( Major activity)

Ø  I cannot provide you any information about surgical procedure related issues ( It is not my area of practice but you can consult me post surgical drug related complications)

Ø  Do not post anything related to your health condition in my blog spot to maintain your privacy.

Ø  Please provide me your proper identification (It may be some authentic document supporting your identity like name, age, country etc.

                 4. How can you communicate with me?

           Ø  You can contact me at :- barun100883@gmail.com

NOTE: -   ***** These online services are not any substitute to the various services being provided by a “Medical Practitioner” rather these services are to make medical services more effective by a “Clinical Pharmacy/Pharmaceutical care Practitioner” like me and the ultimate goal is to safe guard the patient form harms caused by medicines due to irrational prescribing, self medication, lack of knowledge about how to take the drugs and many more issues which are prevalent in most of the countries*****