key: cord-1040849-mcna2h71
authors: D’Amico, Ferdinando; Peyrin-Biroulet, Laurent; Danese, Silvio
title: Reply
date: 2021-01-05
journal: Gastroenterology
DOI: 10.1053/j.gastro.2020.12.072
sha: 571f713301733f5d6d0f7a58946772fc43f13582
doc_id: 1040849
cord_uid: mcna2h71

nan

Reply. We appreciated the letter by Bhat and colleagues 1 and fully support the role of the clinical pharmacist in the management of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD). Pharmacists have several tasks ranging from patient education/counseling to medication management, from monitoring/ follow-up to prevention of adverse events. Counseling with a clinical pharmacist has been associated with improvements in acceptability and adherence to treatment of patients with IBD, thus reducing the risk of relapse. 2 Interestingly, in patients with other chronic diseases, such as asthma and type 2 diabetes, pharmacist interventions led to better disease control and improvements in patient satisfaction and quality of life. 3 In addition, during the current health emergency setting, pharmacists could assess compatibility and possible interactions between IBD drugs (eg, steroids, immunosuppressants, biologics, and small molecules) and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) therapy in subjects with suspected severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and in those with a confirmed COVID-19 diagnosis. Moreover, they could also monitor the pharmacovigilance data, excluding any late adverse events. A multidisciplinary approach that includes the pharmacist activity is essential to ensure optimal patient care and not to overlook important aspects related to safety, efficacy, and costs of drugs. 4 The European Crohn's and Colitis Organization also emphasizes the importance of the clinical pharmacist by recognizing collaboration with at least 1 pharmacist/ pharmacologist/health care professional educated in pharmacology as an indicator of excellence in the quality of care of patients with IBD. 5 However, although there are undoubted advantages of multidisciplinary management, there is still a gap in clinical practice regarding integrated care to patients with IBD, and the clinical pharmacist is not a frequent component of the IBD unit. 6 Further efforts are needed to implement the active role of pharmacists within the IBD units to improve quality of care for patients with IBD. As pharmacists are present in all the hospitals, specific IBD educational training should be promoted by scientific societies. 1  2  3  4  5  6  7  8  9  10  11  12  13  14  15  16  17  18  19  20  21  22  23  24  25  26  27  28  29  30  31  32  33  34  35  36  37  38  39  40  41  42  43  44  45  46  47  48  49  50  51  52  53  54  55  56  57  58  59  60 

Conflicts of interest

Silvio Danese has served as a speaker, consultant, and advisory board member for Schering-Plough