Expand Pharmacy - Consumer Health Forum

A survey conducted by the Consumers Health Forum has found strong support from the Australian community for an expanded role for pharmacists.  The survey was launched earlier this year (PD 02 Jun) in the wake of the Federal budget allocation of up to $600 million to “trial and potentially expand the role of pharmacists”.
Nearly three quarters of the 500 or so respondents to the poll supported the concept of pharmacists providing expanded services, either co-located with doctors or at local pharmacies. 

CHF ceo Leanne Wells said the survey showed that most people wanted to see their pharmacists have a greater role in performing basic support services such as immunisations and blood pressure checks and working with GPs to help chronically ill patients better manage their medication.  “The major implication of these results is that defenders of traditional ‘silos’ of medicine need to rethink the traditional roles for GPs and pharmacists,” Wells said. 

However despite wanting to see pharmacy’s role expanded, respondents also said they didn’t want to see an erosion of the role of the general practitioner.  74.2% of those who participated in the poll wanted to see a pharmacist co-located with the GP, compared to 69.6% who supported local community pharmacists providing increased services.  However some respondents also expressed concerns about having their GP “out of the loop” and were worried about the safety and quality of pharmacy services, the level of privacy in the pharmacy, and the confidentiality of information. “We believe both models of expanded care by pharmacists should be explored,” Wells said. 

Click here for the survey report.

Source:pharmacydaily.com.au, Tuesday 4 August 2015