LIMITATIONS on pharmacists' ability to practice to their full scope are not in the best interest of patients, Pharmacy Guild of Australia National President, George Tambassis, believes.
Speaking at the launch of the Guild's Community Pharmacies: Part of the Solution policy document yesterday, Tambassis (pictured) called for pharmacists to be empowered to do more for their patients.
"There's a safety issue when a patient walks in and doesn't get the appropriate therapy from us in our pharmacies, because our hands are tied," he said.
"We know what the appropriate therapy is, and we refer to the GP [and] that's fine if they can get to the GP straight away, but where's the safety if they have to wait at the GP surgery or there's no GP surgery in some rural areas?
"There's no safety there, because we're not really looking after the patient, so where's the health outcome?" Tambassis asked.
"We're saying 'focus on the health outcome'."
He said the expansion of pharmacists' capabilities would need to be delivered in collaboration with other healthcare professionals.
"Everyone has to collaborate now, so when we say in our policy document, and when I say personally, 'I want pharmacists to practice at their full scope', I always mean that regardless of if it's autonomous or not, or whether it's obviously initiated by the pharmacist, it is always in collaboration with other healthcare professionals," he said.
"Nothing is done in isolation; nothing is done in a silo; we're always sharing and collaborating.
"It's never [going to be] a case where we in some way shape or form won't be able to refer; it's always going to be part of the plan, regardless of when anyone comes into our pharmacies.
"Right now we don't have the ability to practice to our full scope; we're referring all the time, but there will always be an opportunity to refer to the GP at the appropriate time."
He added that there was no reason why pharmacists could not provide patient care for minor ailments, administer injectable medications or dispense oral contraceptives, should patients wish them to.
"We're already doing emergency contraception," he noted.
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