TITLE:
Extending the Role of Pharmacists in Patient Care: Are Pharmacists in Developing Nations Ready to Change?
AUTHORS:
Abduelmula R. Abduelkarem
KEYWORDS:
Role of Pharmacist, Patient Care, Developing Countries, Pharmacy Education, Pharmacy Practice
JOURNAL NAME:
Pharmacology & Pharmacy,
Vol.5 No.9,
August
11,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Patient care in a community
is becoming critical due to change in the impact of diseases on health. The
provision of pharmaceutical care in a community will bring in positive changes
in health care delivery. However, the pharmacist in developing countries has
remained obscure in direct health- care of the patient. The main aim of this
article is to reinforce the concept that there is a need to strengthen the
basic pharmaceutical system in the Arab and African world before implementing
any advanced clinical pharmacy or pharmaceutical care services to our
communities. This article gives a good insight of where pharmacy practice in
Arab, African and other developing countries globally stand in comparison to
developed nations. A trend is apparent towards increased emphasis on clinical
pharmacy practice. Country-specific pharmacy education and practice are
discussed, analyzing the progress and opportunities available to pharmacy
graduates. In addition, the future of pharmacy practice and clinical roles of
hospital and community pharmacists were reviewed. It was realized that pharmacy
practice and progress in many of the Arab and African countries were a mirror
image of the status of the country itself. A new vision for the future of
pharmacy practice needs to be considered and reorientation of pharmacy services
in the existing system is needed. There should be a professional approach to
speed up the rise towards practicing clinical pharmacy and pharmaceutical
profession. This is achieved by interviewing patients, documenting their health
details and educating them on methods of improving their health, including
proper medication usage and lifestyle modification. Furthermore, colleges of
pharmacy need to revise and update their curricula to accommodate the
progressively increasing development in the pharmaceutical education and the
evolving new roles of practicing pharmacists in their community.