TOPIC 2 - SCOPE OF PRACTICE AND ESSENTIAL

FUNCTIONS OF PHARMACISTS

The word ​pharmacy ​is derived from the Greek word ​pharmackon​, meaning
medicine or drug. And the word pharmacist, is the person considered the expert on
drugs.

Historically, the fundamental role of pharmacists as healthcare practitioners is to

distribute drugs that have been prescribed by a prescriber to patients. In more modern
times, pharmacists advice patients and health care providers on the selection, dosages,
interactions, and side effects of medications, and act as a learned intermediary between
a prescriber and a patient. Pharmacists monitor the health and progress of patients to
ensure the safe and effective use of medication. Pharmacists may practice
compounding; however, most medicines today are produced by pharmaceutical
companies in a standard dosage and drug delivery form. In many jurisdictions,
pharmacists have prescriptive authority to either independently prescribe under their
own authority or in collaboration with a primary care physician through an agreed upon
protocol.

One of the most important roles that pharmacists are currently taking on is
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 includes but 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

Pharmacists are often first point-of contact for patients with health inquiries. This
means that pharmacist have large roles in the assessing medication management in
patients, and in referring patients to physicians. These roles may include, but not limited
to:
 • 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
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• 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
• Counselling 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

The physician, dentist, or veterinarian may prescribe drugs and be primarily

interested in the effect of those drugs on the patient, their therapeutic value, and
toxicology. The nurse may administer the drug and be concerned with dosage forms,
routes of administration, and toxic manifestations. But the pharmacist is the ​only ​legally
granted professionals to handle drugs and to know all/everything about those drugs.
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