Introduction

What is Pharmacy?

Pharmacy revolves around people and medicines with special emphasis on the manufacture of medicines, their supply, appropriate use and effects. The ultimate concern of pharmacy is to ensure that the patient receives the appropriate medicines and benefits from the proper use of these.

Pharmacy is an essential part of the healthcare system . Over 50 million prescriptions for medicines are dispensed each year . In addition, many medicines for minor ailments are sold over-the-counter.

Pharmacy is an ever-developing profession that offers excellent career prospects. The work is interesting and varied offering the opportunity to join the healthcare team in safeguarding the nation's health. There is the opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and a choice of working environments and geographical locations.

Who is Pharmacist?

Pharmacists are health professionals who practice the science of pharmacy. Pharmacists also participate in disease-state management, where they optimize and monitor the drug therapy or interpret medical laboratory results – in collaboration with physicians and/or other health professionals. Advances into prescribing medication and in providing members of the public with health advice and services are occurring in many countries. Pharmacists have many areas of expertise and are a critical source of medical knowledge in clinics, hospitals, medical laboratories and community pharmacies throughout the world. Pharmacists also hold positions in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in pharmaceutical education and research and development institutions.

Role of Pharmacist in Health Care:

One of the most important roles that pharmacists are currently taking on is one of pharmaceutical care. Pharmaceutical care involves taking direct responsibility for patients and their disease states, medications, and the management of each in order to improve the outcome for each individual patient. Pharmaceutical care has many benefits that include but are not limited to:

• Decreased medication errors
• Increased patient compliance in medication regimen
• Better chronic disease state management
• Strong pharmacist-patient relationship
• Decreased long-term costs of medical care
• clinical medication management
• the assessment of patients with undiagnosed or diagnosed conditions and for decisions about the clinical medication management required.
• specialized monitoring of disease states
• reviewing medication regimens
• monitoring of treatment regimens
• delegating work
• general health monitoring
• compounding medicines
• general health advice
• providing specific education to patients about disease states and medications
• oversight of dispensing medicines on prescription
• provision of non-prescription medicines
• counseling and advice on optimal use of medicines
• advice and treatment of common ailments
• referrals to other health professionals if necessary
• dosing drugs in renal and hepatic failure
• pharmacokinetic evaluation
• education of physicians and other health care providers on medications and their proper use
• limited prescribing of medications only in collaboration with other health care professionals
• providing pharmaceutical information
• promoting public health by administering immunizations