Clinical pharmacology is a medical specialty concerned with the research, teaching and clinical application of what the human body does to drugs and what drugs do to humans. The knowledge and correct application of drug therapies is a core responsibility of every physician and crosses every disease and organ group. At a population level Canada, along with every other developed country, has noted that drugs form the fastest growing component of health care budgets. This means that there is tremendous pressure to ensure that medicines are provided in the most judicious (effective, safe and cost-effective) manner to optimize health. More recently, medication safety problems have been recognized as the most prominent single source of internal medicine patient adverse events and as a common source of disciplinary action against physicians. At an international, national and local level, it has been noted that trainees receive inadequate training in clinical pharmacology and therapeutics. In addition, overdose and drug use disorders are common and require toxicology knowledge and expertise.

Clinical pharmacologists with combined clinical expertise, critical appraisal abilities, knowledge of drug action and familiarity with regulatory and reimbursement policies influence healthcare at all levels (policy, provider and patient) and are in exceedingly short supply.

It is imperative that each practicing medicine specialist has a basic competence in safe prescribing and evidence-based therapeutics.