WHO IS A PHARMACIST AND WHAT CAN HE DO: Dr Chuka Amukamara

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Today's,  about pharmacist:

WHO IS A PHARMACIST AND WHAT CAN HE DO



Pharmacy defines a Pharmacist; an act, medicine shop and a profession studied in the university as a "faculty" by some individuals with extraordinary abilities called Pharmacists.

Pharmacy is a dynamic profession which changes with changes in patient's health needs: from the days of mixtures and concoctions (apothecary) to the days of "one =3times daily" (diploma pharmacy)  to a more  patient oriented form (B. Pharmacy)  and today;  to the most patient oriented form with a core demonstration of pharmaceutical care (Doctor of pharmacy) worldwide.

Just as he studies a whole "faculty" instead of a just "department", the quantum of knowledge he has equals the make-up of that faculty.
Pharmacy is comprised of the following departments, created alongside its expansion to meeting patient's health needs:

*Pharmacognosy:*Teaches herbs, plants and roots with medicinal/biological activities.

*Pharmaceutics and Pharmaceutical technology:*  Teaches how to formulate the herb and root into acceptable forms "tablets, capsules, syrups, suspensions, injections, caplets, etc

*Pharmacology:* Teaches the difference between medicines and drugs,  as it explains how each "drug" works,  what leads to every side effects,  what dose is good for man,  what body does to drug and what drug does to the body.

*Pharmaceutical chemistry:*  Teaches the chemical profile/composition of each drug, further differentiates between drug and medicine, helps modify drug to become medicine devoid of adverse effects, helps in discovering new drugs and mimic the chemical extract of the herb.
*Pharmaceutical microbiology:* Teaches the methods of protecting medicines from microbial activities, and ensures purity of medicines made available for patients.

*Veterinary Pharmacy:* Just as we have diseases bothering animals, some of which can be transmitted to human, there are medicines developed for their treatment, and this department teaches the diseases and the use of medicines on them.

*Clinical Pharmacy:* Just as all the above departments talk more of medicines, their safety and efficacy,  this department teaches grossly,  the patient's interaction with his medication,  diseases,  their symptoms, causes and management,  monitoring the patients medication and it's administration patterns, and the outcome;  looks into reasons to every outcome;  drug therapy problems and proffers intervention.

*Pharmacy practice and Management:* Teaches the business aspect of pharmacy, drug laws, managerial skills and business administration etc.

*Note:* whoever studies/passes through 'just one" of these courses/departments, is not a pharmacist

*Hospital as a health facility was designed by very intelligent philosophers who placed Pharmacist between the medical doctor and the patient, to carry out the following obligations:*

•  Reviews the doctor's prescription: checking the compatibility of drugs prescribed,  the dosages and dosage forms, routes of administration, weighs the risks against the benefits of taking any of the drugs,  checks for drug therapy problems, medication errors, drugs interactions, safety and efficacy of each drug prescribed etc.

•  If any of the above errors is observed, writes back to the doctor, stating the error alongside a better alternative, having the patient at heart while making such suggestions.

•  Confirms that a prescription is in order which he must sign against, as his professional obligation (to ensure patients safety with drugs), before he dispenses the drugs.

•  Counsels/educates the patient on the drug he/she has been prescribed: how to take the drugs to achieve the best benefits of the drugs,  side effects,  more information about his/her health, drug safety monitoring parameters etc.

•  He stores the drugs (which are mostly chemicals) in their most requiring environment, avoiding drug chemical reactions due to altered environmental factors: like inappropriate temperature and other storage conditions.

•  In an advanced society, he documents, and contacts the patient in a form of "follow up", to still ensure the patient's continuous safety with the drugs.

•  Recently, in the advancement of the profession, he takes responsibility of whatever drugs he gives to every patient, this clause has given him the extra mandate to care for the patients through a systematic method called "Pharmaceutical care"; all to the well-being of the PATIENT without additional cost.

It is our right to know everything about those we MOSTLY rely on  for our health, and such knowledge would direct our decisions to involving these persons, especially in avoiding medication errors; drug therapy problems; drug abuse; drug addiction; smoking withdrawal and alcohol withdrawal with their resultant syndromes; poisoning etc.

The world suffers from the effects of wrong use of drugs, and the number of these drug experts who could have helped curb the drug-ordeal is quite few, and again, just few persons (the learned) in the society have good knowledge about a Pharmacist and what he can do, leaving the rest to suffer the fate of wrong drug and drug therapy problems, especially those who check into wrong places for their prescribed drugs.

*It has long been noted using samples collected from  US, that 60% of deaths recorded annually result from either short term or long term effects of medication errors.  For instance, number of kidney diseases, liver diseases, heart diseases etc has increased over time, and these are human tissues that suffer mostly, the effects of medication errors.*

*THE EFFECT OF HIS (PHARMACIST) ABSENCE in your medical decisions MAY NOT BE IMMEDIATE, BECAUSE sometimes,  PSEUDO-TREATMENT is  perceived as treatment, BUT I PRAY YOU DO NOT SUFFER THE LONG TERM EFFECTS OF MEDICATION ERROR OR DRUG THERAPY PROBLEMS IN FUTURE!*


*My advice:*

• Endeavor to visit a hospital for your sound medical care.

• Ensure that a pharmacist looks into whatever drugs you must take, it's ideal.

• Please, avoid Patent medicine stores, and avoid "anybody can prescribe".

• Whatever hospital you go to, without a registered pharmacist on seat, please tell the doctor that the services of a pharmacist be involved.

• Do not buy drugs from any PHARMACY outlet without a superintendent pharmacist, because it is only his presence that renders his services and not the signpost!

• Avoid drugs from open market vendors, they are not pharmaceutically stored.

• Avoid self-diagnosis and self-medication.

Written by:
*Chukwuka Francis AMUKAMARA (Bpharm, PharmD)*

*Health Medium International HMI*
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