Introduction to pediatric pharmacy practice: Reflections of pediatrics practitioners

摘要

Each year, many pharmacy students and new practitioners embark into one of the more feared rotations of the advanced pharmacy practice curriculum: pediatrics. This hesitation may stem from a fear of the unfamiliar. In fact, the mean time in doctor of pharmacy didactic curricula devoted to pediatric topics is 17 hours (range, 2.8-52.8 hours) including elective courses.1 Yet many pharmacists will be involved in the care of pediatric patients, regardless of their chosen practice site. Ranelli et al.2 found in a recent survey of pharmacists that 87% of respondents (170/195) reported filling a prescription for a pediatric patient on a daily basis.