Role of Pharmacist in Serving Patients in British Columbia
Pharmacists can play a valuable role in the treatment and care of patients in communities throughout British Columbia. Beyond dispensing prescription drugs, over-the-counter medications, and health aids, the pharmacist can assist in achieving better patient outcomes. By becoming more fully involved in patient health-care practices, the pharmacist can help alleviate illness and respond to any misuse that might occur when patients are left to manage their own medications and health treatments.
Over the last number of years the profession of pharmacy has evolved from technical, product-oriented functions to patient-oriented, health-outcome counseling, information and professional services. This shift, generally referred to as “pharmaceutical care,” embraces the notion that pharmacists, working in collaboration with other health-care providers, undertake responsibility for patient outcomes with respect to their drug therapies. The principal task of the modern pharmacist is to identify, resolve and prevent drug-related problems. Third-party drug plans now see the cost effective benefits of pharmacist counseling, by bringing a patient to better health outcomes faster through one-on-one counseling.
Pharmacists have more training in medications than any other health-care professional, and are the acknowledged medication experts. The 2001 Select Standing Committee on Health report Patients First: Renewal and Reform of British Columbia’s Health Care System stated that; “Pharmacists are highly trained individuals who are best situated to know about the chemistry of medications…their skills are underutilized, their time taken up with non-pharmaceutical duties…” (pg.48) and the Committee report declared: Your Committee recommends that the following actions be taken to expand the efficiency and effectiveness of community pharmacists:
- Explore the establishment of new areas of pharmaceutical practice and counseling and negotiate an appropriate reimbursement fee. This will free up pressures on physicians and hospitals and allow pharmacists to more fully serve patients.
- Find ways to reduce over-regulation and excess paperwork — such as drug plan adjudication, administration and other regulatory work – thereby freeing up pharmacists, so they can spend time helping with drug therapies.
Pharmacists now offer a number of services that convey the depth of their education and experience; where they are seen as distributors of knowledge, patient educators, health promoters, and counselors, in addition to being the expert in providing medication information. Pharmacists consult with patients to assist them with drug usage and information and general health care in addition to providing specialized services such as:
- product compounding
- health monitoring
- medication and disease management
- home health care
- long-term care services
- in-store educational seminars and clinic days
Expanding pharmacy services such as these, takes pharmacists far beyond being primarily distributors of drug products and allows pharmacists to practice the profession of pharmacy at its highest level and to its fullest extent.
Many pharmacists have voluntarily decided to acquire additional education in a particular area of disease state management (i.e. asthma, diabetes, anticoagulation and cholesterol management). By formalizing (with certification) advanced education, pharmacists will be recognized as “specialists” with patients, peers, health-care professionals, government, and third-party payers. Efforts to ensure pharmacists’ competence to care for specific types of patient’s disease state management are now focused on credentialing.
The importance of the role of the pharmacist in the management of drug related problems has increased significantly due to the introduction of many new and complex drug therapies. Drug related problems could contribute to additional physician visits, emergency room visits and hospitalizations.
By implementing the pharmaceutical care approach, pharmacists have found solutions for improving the delivery of health-care services. Formally recognizing and compensating pharmacists for these expanded services, will recognize pharmacists and acknowledged them as an integral part of the primary health-care system.