Pharmacy is a healthcare profession that links health
sciences with chemical sciences and aim to ensure the safe and effective use of
pharmaceutical drugs. It is the science of preparing as well as dispensing
drugs and medicines.
Pharmacist (North American English) also known as
chemists (Commonwealth English) or druggist are healthcare professionals who
practice in the field of health science focusing on safe & effective
medication use.
The
role of pharmacist in the 20th century has shifted from the
classical lick, stick, and pour dispensary role (that is lick & stick, the
labels, count the pills, and pour liquids) to being an integrated number of the
healthcare team directly involved in patient care. The most common positions of
pharmacists are community pharmacist,
retail pharmacist, dispensing pharmacist & hospital pharmacist where
they instruct and counsel on the proper use and adverse effects of medically
prescribed drugs and medicines. Pharmacists may also practice in a variety of
other settings, including industry, wholesaling, research academia, military
and government
The
principle role of pharmacist is to achieve positive outcomes from the use of
medications which improves patient’s quality of life. Pharmacists are often the
first point of contact for patients with health inquiries. These outcomes
include
1) Cure
of disease
2) Elimination
& reduction of symptoms
3) Arresting
or slowing disease process
4) Prevention
of disease
5) Diagnosis
of disease
6) Desired
alteration in physiological process, all with minimum risk to patients
7) clinical
medication management, including reviewing and monitoring of medication
regimens
8) Assessment
of patients with undiagnosed and diagnosed conditions
9) Provide
pharmaceutical information
10) Pharmacokinetics
evaluation
11) Promoting
public health by administrating immunisation
Pharmacist’s
role with healthcare has evolved significantly over the past hundred years. In
the earliest decades of 20th century, the pharmacist’s primary
responsibilities were to prepare reliable medications and distribute them to
patients. Pharmacists during that time period also often maintained
neighborhood pharmacies and served as a trusted source of healthcare advice for
the residents of those communities. Pharmacists interpret and communicate their
specialized knowledge to patients, physicians, and other healthcare providers.
Some
pharmacists moved into clinical roles, especially in hospital settings and
provide drug information, monitored drug therapy or specific patients and in
some cases adjusted doses based o pharmacokinetics data. In some hospital
settings and some community pharmacy settings, especially busy chain outlets,
pharmacists are pre-dominantly engaged in healthcare activities and improve
patient’s outcomes, and reduced costs in states that have allowed them to
closely manage patient’s treatment.
The main
role of hospital pharmacist is to promote the safe and effective use of
medication by working with the healthcare team to ensure the selection of the
best medication at the correct dose for an appropriate duration and visiting
patients in their homes after discharge to ensure safe medication management and
to prevent errors and re-admission to hospital.
Pharmacists
are dynamic, patient oriented professionals committed to fulfilling the health
care needs of their patients. Pharmacists have authority to enter into
voluntary collaborative practice agreements with physicians to perform a
variety of patient care functions under certain specified conditions and
limitations.
This
collaborative pharmacy practice include interpretation, evaluation and
implementation of medical care orders, the dispensing of prescription,
participation into drug and device selection, drug administration, drug regimen
reviews, drug related research, the provision of patient counseling , proper
and safe storage of drugs and devices and maintenance of proper records for
them.
Collaborative
practice has covered a variety of patient services area. The services most used
include anticoagulation monitoring and dosage adjustment, pain management, and
emergency contraception and disease state management of asthma, diabetes and
hyperlipidemia. A proper trained and certified pharmacist is able to perform
certain specialized and valuable tasks (e.g.; sterile product compounding,
supervision of other pharmacy technicians, management of technological systems).
Besides
hospital settings, pharmacists play an important and beneficial role in
pharmaceutical industries where they organize and direct technologies related
with medicines and drugs, medicinal work flow, verifying their preparation and
labeling of pharmaceutics, verifying order entries, changes, auditing and
inspections in a well mannered procedures on regular basis.
In
rural settings, a single pharmacist provides long term care facilities &
services in a community pharmacy to the town and to the co-related small rural
hospitals. Pharmacist in these areas serves formally or informally as a health
educator, thereby improving the community public health, rural pharmacists are
often also key professional leaders and economic contributors for the
community.
Pharmacists
are developing new relationship with doctors, nurses and public in developed
countries such as UK, USA, and Canada. In poor nations, the pharmacist’s
current priorities is to facilitate better access of good quality medicines and
the cost effective provision of the support needed to use them well. Worldwide,
pharmacy profession has a role to play enabling individuals and populations to
enjoy improved level of health and abilities at every life stage.
Author,
NAZNEEN ZULFIQAR, PHARM-D,
LESTOFT, SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM
LESTOFT, SUFFOLK, UNITED KINGDOM
Written by Unknown
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