Applying the principles of pharmaceutical care to the patient with diabetes.

Current medical care for patients with diabetes neither meets the guidelines from the American Diabetes Association (ADA) nor approaches the levels of intensive care in the Diabetes Control and Complications Trial (DCCT). The drug-use process for patients with diabetes could be enhanced by improving the way in which drug therapy is monitored and managed. The concept of pharmaceutical care strategically redefines the drug-use process into a pharmaceutical care system in which the pharmacist takes responsibility for monitoring the effects of drugs and acts to resolve drug-related problems before they become a drug-related morbidity. A method for implementing a pharmaceutical care service using practice guidelines to help a pharmacist provide consistent care to all patients with diabetes is discussed.