https://www.apha.

org/policies-and-advocacy/public-health-policy-
statements/policy-database/2014/07/07/13/05/the-role-of-the-
pharmacist-in-public-health

https://psnet.ahrq.gov/primer/pharmacists-role-medication-safety

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/medicine-and-dentistry/shared-
decision-making#:~:text=Shared%20decision%20making%20(SDM)
%20is,Medical%20Association%2C%202012).%E2%80%9D

The first step towards change starts with awareness.

 Pharmacist is a backbone that strengthens to health care system.

Patient Non-Adherence to Medication

Prescription drug overdose

Alcohol-related harms

Food safety

Healthcare-associated infections

Heart disease and stroke

HIV

Motor vehicle injuries

Nutrition, physical activity and obesity

Tobacco use

poisoning

Today pharmacists are using their clinical skills to serve the community through vaccinations,
emergency preparedness and response, drug education, health screenings, medication therapy
management (MTM), and counseling services.
1. Pharmacists communicate effectively with individual patients to determine their
medication adherence levels and understand the hurdles they face in taking their
medication correctly.
a. Recommend patients to stick to one pharmacy
o When patients fill their prescriptions from different pharmacies over a
period of time, it becomes difficult for pharmacists to track the patient’s
medications and treatments. Sticking with just one pharmacy ensures
that all patient prescriptions are reviewed by the same pharmacist. This
helps them better track patients, reduce the chances of adverse events
and provide informed therapeutic recommendations.
b. Recommend patients to maintain medication lists
o Pharmacists should encourage patients to maintain lists of medications they take. Such
lists should contain all information regarding their medication regimen including names of
drugs, the medical condition it is for, the dosages and the timings. Keeping a copy for the
physician during checkups help them be aware of side effects/interactions that may
occur.
c. Recommend usage of dosing cards, pill dispensers, and medication apps
o The visual element of such an arrangement helps alert the patient if they missed a dose.
d. Simplify patients’ medications:
o Pharmacists can review prescriptions, while filling it, to confirm that the dosing schedule
is as simple as possible. They can communicate with the patients about adverse side
effects they experience and the consult with the physician to suggest suitable
alternatives. Minimizing adverse effects and dosing simplification are exceedingly
successful strategies that boost up medicine adherence.

Pharmacists can also play the role of moderator and facilitator to the potential or
chronic substance patient.
a. Pharmacists must speak to patients openly and encourage them to ask questions
about their medications and about the risk of addiction and abuse.
o Talking, educating and cautioning patients about the risk of substance abuse and opioid
overuse disorder and holding patients accountable for their course of treatment can help
prevent substance abuse before it starts.

Pharmacists maximize the prevention of disease and medication Safety.

b. A pharmacist can be indulged in the prevention and control of disease in a many

ways. They can help in the establishment of some screening programs to check
out the status of immunization, and identification of some undiagnosed medical
conditions.

o These practices can reduce the number of hospital admissions due to reasons for drug
therapy mismanagement and counterfeit medications. Medication reconciliation programs
are one of the vital tools with which pharmacists can achieve these goals.

Pharmacists ensure the quality of medicines supplied to patients by

o ensuring that the supply of medicines is within the law
o ensuring that the medicines prescribed to patients are suitable
o advising patients about medicines, including how to take them, what reactions may occur
and answering patients' questions.

Advise other healthcare professionals about safe and effective medicines use, and
safe and secure supply of medicines

Provide services to patients, such as smoking cessation, blood pressure

measurement and cholesterol management

Supervise the production and preparation of medicines and assessments of

quality of medicines before they are supplied to patients from pharmaceutical
manufacturers.

The basic role of a pharmacist is to check prescriptions from physicians before

dispensing the medication to the patients

o to ensure that the patients don't receive the wrong drugs or take an incorrect dose of
medicine.

Pharmacists have role in prevention and management of obesity

o Pharmacists can assist with weight loss steps by evaluating potential obesity-related
diseases; obtaining a weight history; identifying patient triggers and screening for
medications that may influence weight gain; measuring and tracking weight and height
and calculating body mass index (BMI), body fat analysis, and waist circumference;
o determining a patient’s health risk and obesity classification for the purposes of
recommending treatment;
o collaborating with other health professionals to initiate treatment;
o reassessing goals and expectations periodically throughout the treatment process; and
arranging for follow-up monitoring and social support.

Comprehensive review of patient's full medication regimen to ensure medications

work well together and avoid problems (e.g., interaction)
o Pharmacist review may determine which of several medications is causing an
adverse effect;

Pharmacists engages in all medication related policies for the patient’s safety
Pharmacists also have a crucial system-level role in planning and leading medication
safety programs and improvement initiatives within health care organizations.
These initiatives may include:
developing risk-specific protocols for high-alert medications;
identifying and evaluating high-risk processes (e.g., total parenteral nutrition,
compounding, pediatric dose preparation) that require special attention,
protocols, and training;
 evaluating medication error data;
evaluating and implementing new medication technologies; and
fostering robust error reporting processes.

Shared decision making is a process that in many respects represents a response to,
and an acknowledgment of, the right of patients to be informed of potential healthcare
interventions and to choose between them.
Shared decision-making is a process that involves the patient and clinician in
understanding the benefits, harms, and effectiveness of health care tests and treatments;
determining personal priorities and values; and mutually agreeing upon a course of
action. The goal of shared decision-making is to help align medical care with patients’
preferences and values.
Shared decision making draws attention to the importance of communication and
information sharing. The challenges for the clinician are to minimize patients'
misunderstanding and misinterpretation of risks or benefits of treatment and to avoid
imposing his or her own treatment preferences onto the patient.

Shared decisionmaking is a model of patient-centered care that enables and encourages

people to play a role in the medical decisions that affect their health. It operates under
two premises:

First, consumers armed with good information can and will participate in the medical
decisionmaking process by asking informed questions and expressing personal values
and opinions about their conditions and treatment options.
Second, clinicians will respect patients' goals and preferences and use them to guide
recommendations and treatments.

The aim of shared decisionmaking is to ensure that:

 patients understand their options and the pros and cons of those options and
 patient's goals and treatment preferences are used to guide decisions.

Shared decision- making (SDM) is the conversation that happens between a patient

and clinician to reach a healthcare choice together. Examples include decisions about
surgery, medications, self-management, and screening and diagnostic tests.

Tips for Shared Decision Making The following six steps will help providers with shared decision
making. They are adapted from the Informed Medical Decisions Foundation.1 1. Invite the
patient to participate: Inviting patients to participate lets them know that they have options and
that their goals and concerns are a key part of the decision making process. 2. Present options:
Patients need to know the available options. 1 Source: Six Steps of Shared Decision Making. ©
2012 by Informed Medical Decisions Foundation. Adapted and used with permission. 3. Provide
information on benefits and risks: Provide balanced information based on the best available
scientific evidence. Check back with patients to be sure they understand. 4. Assist patients in
evaluating options based on their goals and concerns: To understand patients’ preferences, ask
them what is important to them and what they are concerned about. 5. Facilitate deliberation
and decision making: Let patients know they have time to think things over, and ask them what
else they need to know or do before they feel comfortable making a decision. 6. Assist patients
to follow through on the decision: Lay out the next steps for patients, check for understanding,
and discuss any possible challenges with carrying out the decision.