Pharmacotherapy

Pharmacotherapy is therapy using pharmaceutical drugs, as distinguished from therapy using surgery (surgical therapy), radiation (radiation therapy), movement (physical therapy), or other modes. Among physicians, sometimes the term medical therapy refers specifically to pharmacotherapy as opposed to surgical or other therapy; for example, in oncology, medical oncology is thus distinguished from surgical oncology.

Pharmacists are experts in pharmacotherapy and are responsible for ensuring the safe, appropriate, and economical use of pharmaceutical drugs. The skills required to function as a pharmacist require knowledge, training and experience in biomedical, pharmaceutical and clinical sciences. Pharmacology is the science that aims to continually improve pharmacotherapy. The pharmaceutical industry and academia use basic science, applied science, and translational science to create new pharmaceutical drugs.

As pharmacotherapy specialists, pharmacists have responsibility for direct patient care, often functioning as a member of a multidisciplinary team, and acting as the primary source of drug-related information for other healthcare professionals. A pharmacotherapy specialist is an individual who is specialized in administering and prescribing medication, and requires extensive academic knowledge in pharmacotherapy.

Pharmacotherapy (journal)

Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy is a monthly peer-reviewed medical journal covering human pharmacology and pharmacotherapy, published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy, of which it is an official journal. It was established in 1981 under founding editor-in-chief Russel R. Miller. The second editor was Richard T. Scheife. The third and current editor is C. Lindsay DeVane. Initially published six times a year the journal has been a monthly since 1991.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in:

According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2014 impact factor of 2.662, ranking it 104th out of 254 journals in the category "Pharmacology & Pharmacy".