Community Pharmacy in Malaysia
INTRODUCTION
A community pharmacy can be broadly defined as a community-based pharmacy. The main responsibilities of a community pharmacy include compounding, counseling, and dispensing of drugs on prescription to the patients with care, accuracy, and legality. Appropriate procurement, storage, dispensing and documentation of medicines are within the purview of its professional responsibilities. It is an important branch of the pharmacy profession and involves a qualified and pertinent pharmacist. Therefore the community pharmacists should have the required education, skills, and competence to deliver these professional services.They usually work in the high street, local and rural pharmacies.
ROLE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST
The roles of community pharmacist are such as getting involved in the sale and supply of medicines and give advice about medicines, symptoms and general health matters. They are also responsible for dispensing medicines, counsel patients on their proper use, clarify with GPs and other prescribers that dosages are correct, and check that new treatments are compatible with other medicines the patient may be taking. Besides, Community pharmacists use their detailed knowledge to ensure that prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medicines are supplied correctly and that patients and members of the public know how to use them and are aware of potential side effects. They also provide advice and treatments for minor ailments
Increasingly, community pharmacists and their teams give advice to members of the public on how to improve their health and well-being. They advise on a variety of health-related issues such as stopping smoking, healthy eating and drinking and sexual health, so good communications skills are essential. This work may involve supplying free literature, signposting people to other members of the healthcare team and supporting promotional health campaigns. As part of this work they may also perform screening tests, like blood
A community pharmacy can be broadly defined as a community-based pharmacy. The main responsibilities of a community pharmacy include compounding, counseling, and dispensing of drugs on prescription to the patients with care, accuracy, and legality. Appropriate procurement, storage, dispensing and documentation of medicines are within the purview of its professional responsibilities. It is an important branch of the pharmacy profession and involves a qualified and pertinent pharmacist. Therefore the community pharmacists should have the required education, skills, and competence to deliver these professional services.They usually work in the high street, local and rural pharmacies.
ROLE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST
The roles of community pharmacist are such as getting involved in the sale and supply of medicines and give advice about medicines, symptoms and general health matters. They are also responsible for dispensing medicines, counsel patients on their proper use, clarify with GPs and other prescribers that dosages are correct, and check that new treatments are compatible with other medicines the patient may be taking. Besides, Community pharmacists use their detailed knowledge to ensure that prescribed medicines or over-the-counter medicines are supplied correctly and that patients and members of the public know how to use them and are aware of potential side effects. They also provide advice and treatments for minor ailments
Increasingly, community pharmacists and their teams give advice to members of the public on how to improve their health and well-being. They advise on a variety of health-related issues such as stopping smoking, healthy eating and drinking and sexual health, so good communications skills are essential. This work may involve supplying free literature, signposting people to other members of the healthcare team and supporting promotional health campaigns. As part of this work they may also perform screening tests, like blood