CE: Physical Assessment in the Community Pharmacy

A Physical Assessment Skills Module on Vital Signs

“…[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8] Advantages include being able to monitor and optimize medications more effectively, screen patients at risk for chronic disease states, promote better communication among health care practitioners, and improve our overall understanding of patient care. 6,7 As pharmacists' scope of practice continues to expand into more patientcentered roles, pharmacy education will require the incorporation of courses into the curriculum that will develop skills to fulfill such roles.…”

Integration of Physical Assessment Within a Pathophysiology Course for Pharmacy

“…1 One way to achieve interprofessional care is to ensure student understanding of the medical model as it pertains to patient history, SOAP (subjective, objective, assessment, and plan) note development, and physical assessment. 2 This model has been recognized by the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), which indicates that a pharmacy student must be able to "provide patient care in cooperation with patients, prescribers, and other members of an interprofessional healthcare team based upon sound therapeutic principles and evidence-based data." 3 Additionally, the Center for the Advancement of Pharmaceutical Education (CAPE) outcomes for pharmaceutical care delineate that a student should be able to do the following: obtain necessary information from the patient, caregiver, and/or other members of the healthcare team, identify relevant information in the patient's profile or medical record; interview the patient or caregiver, employ effective communication strategies; identify the patient's complaint(s) and reason(s) for seeking medical care; and perform selected aspects of physical assessment, as appropriate.…”