Challenges to the Pharmacy Profession

Challenges to the Pharmacy Profession

• The pharmacy profession faces challenges related to shifting focus from products to patients
• Pharmaceutical care is defined as providing drug therapy to achieve patient outcomes improving quality of life.
• Pharmacists co-operate with patients and other healthcare professionals to develop and monitor therapeutic plans.
• Five key principles of pharmaceutical care include patient data collection, medical information evaluation, drug therapy plan formulation, plan implementation, and plan monitoring/modification.
• Under-utilization of community pharmacists in Malaysia is a concern.

Shift in Focus from Product to Patient (continued)

• Training in new skills, including life-long learning
• Specialisation and credentialing for pharmacists in specialized areas.
• Examples include clinical pharmacokinetics, geriatric pharmacy, diabetes management, and warfarin therapy.
• Collaboration and conflict resolution with other healthcare professionals is essential.
• Continued survival of the profession may depend on providing patient-centred care.

Biotechnology Products and Gene Therapy

• The pharmacy profession is incorporating new skills in biotechnology product manufacturing, including personalized medicine (tailor-made drugs).
• Treatment options, like therapies using antibodies or gene therapy, are becoming increasingly important and effective.
• However, these therapies are often very costly.

Increase in Need for Good Quality Information

• Pharmacists need to be knowledgeable and able to evaluate information.
• They must provide patients with unbiased information.
• Integration of traditional, herbal, and complementary medicine into pharmaceutical care is necessary.
• Professional responsibility must always take precedence over commercial interests.

Use of Information Technology

• Information technology is used as a source of information.
• It enables the provision of pharmaceutical care.
• Pharmacies utilize IT for efficient management.
• IT is used to fulfil legal requirements and for reimbursement processes.
• New and innovative IT applications are constantly developed for pharmacy.

Dispensing Separation

• Dispensing separation is an agreement principle included in the National Medicines Policy.
• Further work concerning the image of pharmacists and public acceptance is required.
• Addressing issues of numbers and distribution of pharmacists is critical.
• The role of National healthcare financing schemes is a factor.

Changing Malaysian Healthcare Scenario

• National healthcare financing is changing.
• There's an increase in corporate players within the retail pharmacy sector.
• The pharmacy workforce may be becoming saturated.
• A New Pharmacy Act, amendments to existing acts and guidelines are impacting the sector.

Health White Paper (Summary)

• The Health White Paper outlines four key pillars to transform healthcare.
• Those pillars address healthcare service delivery, health prevention, financing, and system strength.
• The pillars focus on primary care, hospital optimization, public-private partnerships, digital transformation, equity in provision, public health functions, inter-sectoral cooperation, pro-health behavior encouragement, investment, comprehensive services, efficiency, restructuring Ministry of Health roles, policy strength, workforce strengthening, research, and innovative approaches.

This quiz explores the evolving role of pharmacists from focusing on products to prioritizing patient care. It addresses key principles of pharmaceutical care and the challenges faced in Malaysia regarding the under-utilization of community pharmacists. Test your knowledge on the necessary skills and collaboration in this vital healthcare profession.