A study conducted by the Journal of Managed Care & Specialty Pharmacy found that “patients visit their community pharmacies almost twice as often as they visit their physicians”, therefore highlighting the crucial role that the pharmacy plays in the patient’s overall well-being as well as their medical healthcare (Valliant et al., 2022).
Pharmacy is, therefore, “the art and science of preparing and dispensing medications” and is not only a place where medications are collected but also plays an integral role in patient care, medical advice, drug selection and utilisation as well as interventions where required.
Pharmacists are indeed medical professionals who are thoroughly knowledgeable about medications, their effects and how they interact with other drugs and treatments, even those treatments which are non-drug-related (Mohiuddin, 2020).
This extensive knowledge positions pharmacists as vital contributors to the healthcare team, ensuring that patients receive optimal and safe therapeutic outcomes throughout the course of their treatment.
Pharmacists also pose as a crucial figure when it comes to questions about treatment and any grey areas which patients are concerned or have questions about.
Having said this, “in 2015, the Royal Pharmaceutical Society proposed further integration of pharmacists into general practices outlining the various benefits that pharmacists could provide” (Mohiuddin, 2020).
It has been shown that the pharmacy tends to decrease the workload of the physician by allowing them to focus more thoroughly on their diagnostic, prescriptive and patient-based role while the pharmacist offers professional advice pertaining to medications and how to take them as well as patient counselling.
The profession of pharmacy, hence, includes three areas – clinical, community and hospital pharmacy – which are all concerned with the effective prevention and treatment of any clinical condition as well as the correct use of medication both on the wards as well as in a community setting.
The pharmacy team in a hospital setting, as in a community setting, strives to maintain and improve the pharmaceutical care of both in- and outpatients who visit the hospital.
Within the hospital, the pharmacy usually comprises a team of pharmacists, pharmacy technicians and pharmacy assistants who ensure that the use and prescribing of medications within the hospital is kept up to date and to the highest standards.
The team, under the care and direction of the attending pharmacists, may also provide advice and information regarding the latest medicinal advancements to physicians whenever these are in doubt or in need of pharmaceutical help.
Over 90 per cent of people have a pharmacy within walking distance
The pharmacist also plays an integral role in verifying prescriptions and ensuring that the medication prescribed is the best option for the patient.
Clinical pharmacy is the most medically-oriented of the disciplines since it usually comprises the pharmacist who works hand in hand with the physician in order to provide the best medical and patient-centred care.
An example of clinical pharmacy is oncology-related pharmacy where a pharmacist who is a specialist in oncology pharmacy ensures that chemotherapy is being reconstituted and administered properly and to the highest standard.
The clinical pharmacist may also be involved in ward rounds with the physician and in patient education, facilitating their experience at the hospital. This also includes the reviewing of blood tests and the calculation of chemo drugs for patients, while helping the physician keep track of all the latest studies and updates as well as aiding in patient-centred care.
Finally, community pharmacy is what many people are most familiar with since this places the pharmacy in the wider community where pharmacists may offer patient-centred care by not only dispensing medications according to prescriptions but by also providing professional medical advice, advising patients on how to take medication and monitoring their health in order to ensure an overall safe and healthy lifestyle.
The community pharmacist also offers health promotion and prevention activities such as assisting patients on how to use devices for monitoring of blood pressure and blood glucose levels, while also performing point-of-care testing including blood pressure and blood cholesterol monitoring (JV Pharma, 2024).
These duties ensure that patients are well cared for and informed on how to safely take care of their health in order to live a healthy and fulfilling life. The community pharmacy not only contributes to the patient’s life but also to the environmental cause since patients may take unused or expired drugs where the pharmacy may dispose of them in an environmentally friendly and safe manner, ensuring that no harmful substances affect the environment.
To date, there are over 200 community pharmacies in Malta and Gozo, therefore ensuring that over 90 per cent of people have a pharmacy within walking distance, which ensures that many elderly patients can access professional healthcare and advice within a short walk (Medicines Authority, 2024).
Through this article, it may be concluded that pharmacy is so much more than just the dispensing of medication but is more about the patient than anything else.
Gabriel Falzon is a final year Ba. (Melit) student and Colette Schembri B.Pharm (Hons), P.Q.Dip. Nutr & Diet, CIBTAC, Dip, CAH, MSc HSM is a registered pharmacist.