The changing role of the Pharmacist – from Paracelsus to paracetamol and beyond….
The pharmacist is the knowledgeable person to fulfil an informative role, is easily accessible to patients and usually has a trust relationship with patients.
Paracelsus was one of the early pioneers of the medical revolution during the renaissance and as such one of the people that laid the foundation for the profession of pharmacy. Since then, pharmacy has evolved and is evolving at an exponential rate in how modern medicine is practised. Early medicine was mostly derived from plant products and later the pharmacist’s role evolved to that of a compounder of medicine according to the practice of secundem artem using the pharmacist’s special skill and expertise. With industrialisation came the mass production of medicine and everything was manufactured to a high standard and that brought about a dramatic change in the role of the pharmacist to that of a professional playing a much more important and intimate role in the health of the patient.
Pharmacists are the custodians of medicine and as such, has an important role in the research and production of medicine. Other roles specifically included in the pharmacist’s scope of practice include the formulation of any medicine for the purposes of registration as a medicine, the distribution of any medicine or scheduled substance, the repackaging of medicines, the initiation and conducting of pharmaceutical research and development, and the promotion of public health.
Medicine is a highly complex commodity, and the sale thereof cannot be handled in the same manner as, for example, that of sugar and cement. Using it inappropriately can lead to serious injury to oneself and even death if the dosage, interval of use and the simultaneous use with other medicine is not carefully controlled. The pharmacist is the knowledgeable person to fulfil that informative role, is easily accessible to patients and usually has a trust relationship with patients that enable them to advise on potential drug/drug interaction or drug/food interaction or drug/familial medical condition that could harm the patient.
History has shown that most patients using medication for a chronic condition like high blood pressure or high cholesterol will discontinue the use of their medication within a few months of starting their treatment. The role of the pharmacist is to see that the patient is informed about the need to carry on with their treatment (drive compliance) and to monitor their vital signs (blood pressure or cholesterol or blood glucose levels) and to inform the patient about any problems and to contact their doctor to correct or modify the treatment regime.
Some pharmacists are in possession of a section 22(A)15 permit that allow them to perform primary healthcare services which could involve the diagnosing and treating of primary health conditions and to perform screening and testing of biological and physical parameters e.g., blood glucose, blood cholesterol, urine analysis, blood pressure, BMI, reproductive health services and immunisation to name but a few of the services that can be performed by them. Other pharmacies might have a nurse practitioner in the pharmacy that might perform some of the above functions as well.
The Role of the Pharmacist in promoting public health is to improve patient care without compromising patient safety and to increase access to health care services, increase patient choice and to make better use of the skills of health professionals.
Pharmacists add value to the medicine that one uses, and those value-added services can be thought to exist along a continuum. On one end of the continuum, pharmacists are more narrowly focused on drug therapy issues that occur during the dispensing functions (i.e., point of care). On the other end of the continuum, pharmacists provide ongoing drug therapy management services for select individuals who have multiple co-morbidities requiring complex therapies (i.e., case management).
Your pharmacist is there to assist you with maintaining an optimum quality of life and to ensure the safe and effective use of medicine! Consult with them, they are there to help!
Johann Kruger M.Pharm., M.Phil., PhD., FPS is a Director at Medwell SA – The Home Health Care Specialists and the Head of EDNA Medical Distributors, an incorporated company at Medwell SA. For more information visit www.edna.co.za or www.medwell.co.za
