Patient Care Process written by ChatGPT (Dr. Nehad Jaser Ahmed)

 

Patient Care Process

1. Core Elements of Patient Care

• Every professional practice is built on:

  1. Philosophy of practice – ethical values and professional purpose.

  2. Patient care process – systematic, consistent approach.

  3. Practice management system – infrastructure, personnel, policies, payment.

• Care is based on trust, respect, communication, and collaboration with patients and families.

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2. The Patient Care Process

Adopted by the Joint Commission for Pharmacy Practitioners (JCPP) in 2014.
It includes five essential steps:

1. Collect – Gather subjective & objective information (history, medications, labs, lifestyle).

2. Assess – Evaluate indication, effectiveness, safety, adherence. Identify & prioritize problems.

3. Plan – Develop evidence-based, individualized, affordable care plan in collaboration with patient and team.

4. Implement – Execute plan, educate patient, coordinate with other providers, document care.

5. Follow-up/Monitor – Reassess outcomes, adjust therapy, ensure continuity of care.

These steps are interdependent and supported by communication, documentation, teamwork.

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3. Medication Therapy Problems (MTPs)

Organized into domains:

• Indication – unnecessary therapy, needs additional therapy.

• Effectiveness – ineffective drug, dose too low, needs monitoring.

• Safety – adverse effects, dose too high, interactions.

• Convenience – adherence issues, cost barriers.

Most common MTPs: needs additional therapy and dose too low.

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4. Importance of Consistency

• Standardization avoids care gaps and ensures quality.

• Supports quality metrics, research, and value-based healthcare.

• Facilitates integration with information systems (EHR, coding, billing).

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5. Practice Management & Quality

• Requires infrastructure, documentation systems, support staff, and workflow.

• Data collection (ICD, SNOMED, LOINC, CPT codes) enables outcome measurement.

• Payment systems depend on proper documentation (e.g., SOAP notes).

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6. Conclusion

• The patient care process provides a universal framework for safe, effective, patient-centered therapy.

• By following collect–assess–plan–implement–follow-up, health professionals optimize medication use and outcomes.

• Standardization improves care quality, accountability, and recognition of pharmacists’ roles in healthcare.