[Academic detailing for best practice and pharmacists' role]

Abstract

It is necessary to offer the proper information about prescription drugs for appropriate use of them in clinical practice. However, a lot of time and labor is required to comprehensively collect the information necessary for clinical application and it could be extremely difficult. If the clinical experience and other information is derived solely on a commercial basis, then it may lead to improper prescription practices. "Academic detailing" is a form of interactive educational outreach to physicians to provide unbiased, non-commercial, evidence-based information about medications and other therapeutic decisions, with the goal of improving patient care. In Western countries, the public funds are used to support universities and other research institution programs. The experience from such programs spreads to a broader scientific community. In US, "Academic detailing" was pioneered 30 years ago. National Resource Center for Academic Detailing (NaRCAD) is an initiative supported by Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) grant. Clinical pharmacists are acting as Detailers in Europe and America, and this improves medical quality. The importance of Academic Detailing activity would be also recognized in Japan, and fully-trained (with six-years of specialized training) pharmacists with evaluative and communication skills can be expected to act as such a specialist.