Clinical pharmacy (pharmaceutical care) is that area of patient care that is responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate, and economical use of drugs. A clinical pharmacy specialist, unlike a bench researcher (e.g., toxicologist, pharmacologist), has responsibility for direct patient care as a member of a multidisciplinary team, and serves as the primary source of drug information for other healthcare professionals. The primary function of a clinical pharmacist is to improve a patient's quality of life through management of medication-related therapeutic outcomes. This principally involves identifying, resolving and/or preventing potential and actual medication-related problems. Medication-related problems that are assessed, evaluated and managed routinely by a clinical pharmacist include:

• Improper drug selection
• Overdosage/toxicity
• Adverse drug reactions
• Drug administration errors
• Untreated medical conditions (errors & omissions)

• Sub-therapeutic dosing
• Failure to receive medication (non-compliance)
• Drug interactions
• Medication use without indication

Separately, because of the highly regulated nature of pharmacy practice, a pharmacist is well versed in addressing various administrative issues, including: compliance with regulatory bodies (e.g., State/Federal licensing boards, JCAHO, FDA); drug procurement; institutional and community drug distribution systems; controlled substances and the DEA; managed care principles and practice; and insurance company and third-party reimbursement.

Perhaps equally as important as the clinical pharmacist being knowledgeable in these drug-related areas is that he is skilled at effectively communicating complex drug regimens and technical information to non-technical people. Additionally, in the eyes of the public the pharmacist has been rated the most honest and ethical professional for six of the last eight years, as determined by annual Gallup Polls. These attributes combine to make for an expert witness who can relate well to a jury.

• Drug injury causation
• Pharmacy standards of practice
• Pharmacy ergonomic job-site analysis
• Pharmacy malpractice
• Drug-related medical malpractice
• Medication error event reconstruction
• Drug product liability (e.g. warnings, design/formulation)
• Criminal defense (e.g. drugs of abuse, child medical neglect)
• Drug-related civil defense (e.g. probate, child custody, DMV)

• Document Review (Medical Records, Drug Profiles, etc)
• Patient Interview & Assessment
• Facility Inspection
• Written Report
• Deposition or Testimony if necessary