PHARMACY has been described as a "gateway to care, helping people towards better health" in recognition of its expanding role in self care, according to new report from the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).
Published yesterday, the report reviews the current state of consumer interest in health care and presents a collection of evidence of pharmacy services related to self care and the value that pharmacists bring to health care systems.
Drivers of self care are described in the report and "profound" changes in the way health care systems operate explained.
"Community pharmacies have provided health care for many years, through giving advice, providing a medicine or, when needed, referring patients to other health care professionals," co-author Warren Meek said.
"This report, however, reflects the embedding of a formalised approach whereby pharmacies are reimbursed for these services, and where self-care through pharmacists is considered as an integral part of the health system."
Meek went on to say that pharmacies are now being seen as a formal gate of entry to the health care system, citing schemes being run in Scotland and Switzerland as examples of the recognition and formal integration of pharmacists' contribution to the system.
"Collaborative interaction between patients and pharmacists, with or without the provision of a therapeutic substance, confers undoubted benefits to the total health care system," he wrote.
"More governments should consider and promote the relevance and importance of self care and acknowledge the role of pharmacists in delivering improved patient health outcomes through supporting patients in self care activities."
"The sustenance of viable quality health systems will require optimal use of all health competencies," he added.
The report also focuses on ways in which pharmacists' contribution can be optimised, including through the uptake of point-of-care testing and the development of standard operating procedures.
Go to fip.org to access the report.
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