PULA PINANG: Globally there is a greater awareness of ‘self” and a clear-cut shift towards “self-care”.
Making this observation, President of MPS, Datuk Nancy Ho said this trend has lead to the wellness revolution which determines the way we eat, exercise, sleep, work, save, age and almost every other aspect of our lives.
“For a long time, great emphasis has been paid to the ‘sickness’ industry where products and services are provided reactively to people with an existing disease. This ranges from a common cold to cancerous tumours. These products and services seek to either treat the symptoms of a disease or eliminate it.
“However, the ‘wellness’ industry has products and services provided proactively to healthy people (those without an existing disease) to make them feel even healthier and look better, to slow the effects of aging or to prevent diseases from developing in the first place,” she said at the Public Forum on “What you need to know about Self-Medication” at Dewan Sri Penang, here, recently.
It was organized by the Penang Medical Practitioners’ Society with support from the MPS, Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Association of Malaysia, Consumers Association of Penang (CAP) and Malaysian Trades Union Congress (MTUC)
In her presentation on “Roles of Pharmacists in Community Health”, Ho stressed that pharmacists, as healthcare professionals, are regarded as among the leaders in the promotion of wellness at the forefront of the industry.
“As such, they must work as a team with other healthcare professionals to enhance the quality of healthcare.”
With technological advancement, she said the pharmacy practice has evolved into a profession deeply involved in the concept of “care”.
“Hence the term ‘pharmaceutical care’ which is defined as ‘the responsible provision of drug therapy for the purpose of achieving definite outcomes to improve the patient’s quality of life’.”
From Ho’s observation, healthcare professionals and clients have invariably become a team “where pharmacists help the clients to take control of their own health.”
Therefore, she said, there is a greater need for pharmacists to implement pharmaceutical care through Good Pharmacy Practice.
There are four main elements of Good Pharmacy Practice, the forum was told.
These are promotion of good health, avoidance of ill health and achievement of health objectives; Supply and use of medicines and medical devices; Promotin of patient self-care; and Improving the use of medicines, including ensuring patient compliance.
According to the MPS President, there is a global practice trend to engage pharmacists in primary health care, particularly in the United Kingdom, New Zealand and Australia
In Asia, she noted, pharmacists as wellness promoters and drug counsellors have contributed to improving public health.
”It was found that evidence of effectiveness of community pharmacy in public health is strongest in smoking cessation, diabetes, contraception, flu immunisation and drug abuse”
Ho said in community healthcare, pharmacists can assume four different roles, namely professional, community, public education and lobbying roles.
Challenges for pharmacists in community healthcare include promoting awareness of HIV/AIDS, preventing substance abuse (examples, cigarettes and alcohol), promoting understanding of medication safety, family planning and mental health (example, stress management)
On the local front, Ho highlighted the programmes where pharmacists in the public and private sectors have worked closely to promote community health.
Among them are the statewide anti-dadah campaign, public seminars, a newspaper special column to promote understanding on the use of medicines, statewide road show to promote understanding of “Iodine Deficiency” in both urban and rural areas, blood donation drive, involvement in palliative care and weight management, rural medical outreach and primary health screening programmes.
Elaborating on the role of pharmacists in ‘self medication’, Ho said as part of the ‘self care’ programme, their role has been enlarged to encompass four components, namely health promoters, lifestyle counsellors, primary health screening providers and total health educators.
Given that medicines have the potential to ‘heal’ or ‘kill’ she emphasized the need to treat them with extreme care.
“Pharmacists as safe custodians of medicines have to be extra vigilant in ensuring that medicines dispensed are managed well to ensure maximum effective outcomes.”
‘All consumers of medicines must be guided and informed about the dosage, route of administration, possible side effects and storage conditions, among other aspects.
“Any drug-drug interaction or food-drug interaction must be highlighted’ she told the forum.
The forum heard that pharmacists, who are professionally trained to dispense medicines, have for their use pharmacy-only dispensed medicines, “which can be supplied directly to patients as Group C and D controlled medicine under the provisions of Poisons Act 1952”
Ho said proper labeling and recording procedures must be followed accordingly. “The onus is on pharmacists in community health to offer quality and accurate information on the medicines dispensed to consumers.”
By Mary Chin
SOURCES : DAILY EXPRESS SABAH
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AMIN
