Differences between, and similarities of, clinical pharmacy practice in China and the USA
| China | USA | |
| Definition and recognition | ||
| Starting time | 2005 | Mid-1960s |
| Type of clinical pharmacists | All | Academic-based or practice-based |
| Scope of services | Hospitals (including traditional Chinese medicine), community | Community, ambulatory care, hospitals and health systems, long-term care facilities, home care agencies, managed-care organisations |
| Key point of the practice | Carrying out drug consultation to participate in clinical treatment | Developing protocols, guidelines and formularies for directing safe and effective use of medications |
| Public perception | Low | High |
| Benefits of practice | Few data | Well studied |
| Inpatient service | ||
| Multidisciplinary and specialty ward rounds | Most patient-centred medication-related services were provided by physicians and nurses in primary hospitals and community hospitals | Routine |
| Prescribing authority | Needs to be recognisedand implemented | Some form of pharmacist prescribing has been authorised in about 48 states |
| TDM | Routine | Routine |
| Outpatient settings | Few data | Mature |
| Drug information/database | ||
| Drug and health information retrieval skills | Depends on learning of individual pharmacists | Required and essential |
| Information network | Deficient | Integrated |
| Education | ||
| Schooling (total number of year in school) and degree | 4–5 years BS 6–8 years MS 8–11 years PhD | At least 6 years PharmD |
| Residencies | 6 months to 1 year of clinical pharmacy training programmes | 1–2 Years |
| Board certification | No | Accessible |
| Standard working model | No | Yes |
TDM, therapeutic drug monitoring.