25th September is World Pharmacist Day and it is celebrated annually since the year 2000 when it was first launched by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP). The goal of celebrating this day is to draw attention to pharmacists and the good health advantages they provide. The International Pharmaceutical Federation was in fact founded on this very same date back in 1912, and the major goal of this day is to promote the role and actions of pharmacists in promoting health.
Pharmacists are responsible for ensuring that people get the most out of their medications. They use their experience, knowledge, and skill to make the medical world a better place for everyone. In addition to that, they provide individuals with access to medications, instruct them on how to use them appropriately, and not to mention too, those who are behind the scenes of research and development of newer pharmaceutical discoveries that are changing the way treatments are managed through vast research and development projects.
This year's theme is “Pharmacy: Always Trusted for Your Health." The reason behind this theme, according to FIP, is that they believe trust is an essential component of all human interactions and a key component of social capital which is crucial in health care. There is a substantial relationship between trust in healthcare providers and patient health outcomes. Patients with more confidence in their healthcare practitioners reported better satisfaction with treatment, more positive health behaviors, fewer symptoms, and an enhanced quality of life across a variety of clinical settings.
How often have you personally made a trip to your neighbourhood pharmacy only to check on whether the medication you are taking is doing you good. Most times, speaking to a trusted pharmacist just makes it all better because we believe they know it best. But what exactly is the role of a pharmacist in the current century? While many people assume a pharmacist is one who sits at the counter of a pharmacy and dispenses medicines based on a slip given by a medical doctor, that assumption is rather backdated and not entirely true even for a pharmacist of the early days. Let's take a look at what are the changing roles of a pharmacist in the 21st Century.
The Changing Role of a Pharmacist in the 21st Century
In an environment of increasing public expectations, workforce pressures, and significant scientific and technological advances, defining the contributions a pharmacist make not only to the healthcare team but more widely to the public is crucial to maintain its demand in the workforce. Without clarity on the pharmacist’s role, one cannot effectively select, educate and train themselves in this professional and demanding field, or plan for the future pharmacy workforce.
According to a member survey conducted by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society, the function of a pharmacist can be defined a transformative one. A pharmacist does not work in isolation but through an inter-relationships with other professionals within the heath care industry as well as members of the research and development industry. With the given pandemic, there has never been a greater time for people to access high-quality expertise about the effectiveness, safety and use of medications. While medications improve health and save lives, they are not without risk. The collective influence of current health care trends and policies compels the profession of pharmacy to make fundamental changes in how it carries out its professional role to effectively and safely meet society’s health care needs. The modern pharmacist is largely responsible for helping patients navigate an increasingly complex and costly health care system, particularly with respect to medications. Demographic shifts have led to a situation where older adults now outnumber children under 15 years, in a recent study conducted in Canada where drug therapy problems are common, largely preventable and clinically harmful, and they present an increasing burden to their health care system.
Pharmacists are medicine specialists; they gallantly serve as gatekeepers within the healthcare ecosystem in ensuring patients are given the right medication. While traditionally a physician takes the lead on patient care, the newer evolving roles of a pharmacist in a general setting of a hospital is seen to show the increase involvement of pharmacist at the front line of patient care, along-side doctors who are dependent on the expertise of a pharmacist in managing drug treatment more directly with a patient. Pharmacists have taken-on bigger roles within the new healthcare environment to be assisting doctors, given the fact that a pharmacist has more in-depth knowledge of any given drug and all the parameters of its utilisation and behaviour in the pharmaceutical sciences. The usage of medication, the way one interacts with medication, its optimal dosages for effective treatment and its safely and rightful way of utilisation is part and parcel of a pharmacist role in a health care setting. Recent health care trends, evidences and policies conducted by researchers around the world, have identified the opportunities of this profession, particularly its opportunity in the full scope of pharmacy practice which makes a difference in people's lives. With integrity and trust embodying their service to others, a pharmacist is one whom you can turn to when dealing with matters of medication.
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Words by: Jennifer F. Netto
References:
Dolovich, L., Austin, Z., Waite, N., Chang, F., Farrell, B., Grindrod, K., Houle, S., McCarthy, L., MacCallum, L., & Sproule, B. (2018, December 25). Pharmacy in the 21st century: Enhancing the impact of the profession of pharmacy on people's lives in the context of health CARE TRENDS, evidence and policies. Canadian pharmacists journal : CPJ = Revue des pharmaciens du Canada : RPC. Retrieved September 25, 2021, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6346332/.