The expanding role of the transplant pharmacist in the multidisciplinary practice of transplantation

Abstract

The survey indicates that many solid organ transplant centres have incorporated transplant pharmacists into the multidisciplinary transplant clinical team. Transplant pharmacists are funded most often by the hospital pharmacy. Most transplant pharmacists spend the majority of their time in clinical practice, but also play a key role in research.

Safety and Efficacy of Implementing a Multidisciplinary Heart Team Approach for Revascularization in Patients With Complex Coronary Artery Disease

“…The concept is well established in the fields of oncology and solid-organ transplantation. 1,2 Within cardiovascular medicine, it is an established entity in the management of heart failure 3,4 and congenital heart disease 5,6 in the pediatric and adult populations and is becoming the standard of care in randomized clinical trials involving complex cardiac conditions. [7][8][9] Within the subspecialty of coronary revascularization, during the conduct of randomized clinical trials, a dedicated multidisciplinary heart team (MHT) has been used successfully.…”

The Current State of Pharmacy Informatics Education in Professional Programs at US Colleges of Pharmacy

“…10 In the coming, data-driven, information-rich healthcare environment envisioned by today's leaders, the opportunity for compiling useful medical and drug data for analysis and publication will be almost limitless. 11 If properly trained in data gathering, handling, and statistical analysis, future pharmacists can help the nation achieve its goal of using documented clinical evidence to justify most, if not all, drug therapy decisions.…”

A National Survey Assessing the Current Workforce of Transplant Pharmacists Across Accredited U.S. Solid Organ Transplant Programs

“…A literature search identified two previous surveys that were conducted within this area, with a third recent analysis including a subsection on transplant pharmacy services. Martin et al published the results of a survey involving 26 centers in 2004 (11). As compared to the Martin study, the present survey demonstrates that the role of the transplant pharmacist has dramatically expanded, especially in the evaluation and posttransplant ambulatory phases.…”

“…Yet none of the aforementioned surveys (Martin, Staino, or Israni) conducted a comprehensive analysis of the day-to-day activities performed by the transplant pharmacist. It is clear that as the number of transplant programs has expanded dramatically across the U.S., so has the number of transplant pharmacists (10,11). The role and scope of practice for the transplant pharmacists within direct patient care has also expanded, likely a reflection of the known benefits pharmacists provide as a crucial member of the multidisciplinary team (4,5,7,14), coupled with the fact that governing bodies (UNOS and CMS) now recognize the transplant pharmacists as a core member of this team (2).…”

“…This is particularly the case since the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) began certifying transplant centers (2). Despite this dramatic growth, little has been published detailing the role and responsibilities of the transplant pharmacist across the continuum of care (11)(12)(13)(14)(15)(16). With ever-increasing demands for the transplant pharmacist to be involved in all phases of transplant care, it is important to develop standards of practice (17).…”