Pharmacy technician education, training, and certification: call for a single national standard and public accountability.

摘要

Today's medication-use systems rely heavily on pharmacy technicians. The ability of pharmacists to focus their attention on the safe and effective use of drugs, biologicals, vaccines, and contrast media depends on the availability of technicians who have been appropriately trained and credentialed and possess necessary skill sets regarding drug preparation and distribution. As pharmacists' roles expand throughout the health care system and new practice sites, they seek a standard mechanism for recognizing the abilities possessed by the technicians they work with. This can be best accomplished with a single national standard for education, training, and certification and with public accountability through regulatory oversight.