Pharmacy Profession and Introduction to Pharmaceuticals

Pharmacy is a branch of clinical health science responsible for discovering drugs and pharmaceuticals, their production, disposal and their safe and effective use. A complete grasp of drugs, their action methods, toxicity and mobility, is required for pharmacy practice. It also involves treatment knowledge and an understanding of the diseases. Several pharmacy specialities, such as clinical pharmacy, require additional skills, like comprehending laboratory and physical data collection and analysis.

The pharmacy profession encompasses both conventional tasks such as compounding and distributing pharmaceuticals, as well as more modern healthcare services such as clinical services, assessing medications for effectiveness and safety and providing drug information. Consequently, pharmacists are drug treatment experts and key health professionals who help people benefit through medications.

Pharmacy Profession

Pharmacists are healthcare professionals with specific education and training who have a wide range of responsibilities in ensuring that patients achieve the best potential health outcomes through the correct usage of medication for their ailments. 

Pharmacists can also be business entrepreneurs who own the pharmacy where they operate. Pharmacists are vital in optimising drug treatment for a patient because they are knowledgeable about a drug’s method of activity and metabolism, as well as its physiological effects on humans.  

Pharmacists play an important role in enhancing patient care by providing required medicines and information regarding their usage. Pharmacy careers offer numerous advantages and scopes. Working in public, home health care, a hospital,  pharmaceutical research companies, nursing homes, government health organisations, higher education, etc, are career possibilities for trained pharmacists.

Furthermore, pharmacy has excellent earning potential and is continuously regarded as one of the most trusted occupations due to the care and services provided by pharmacists.

 History of Pharmacy

Pharmacy, as a separate science, dates back to the nineteenth century. The pharmacy has existed as part of medicine since antiquity. Although the history of pharmacy and medicine are closely related, it is critical to distinguish the two subjects. 

Pharmaceuticals is one of the most investigated subjects in academia; however, the history surrounding that issue is limited when contrasted to its global impact. Before the arrival of pharmacists, apothecaries collaborated with priests and physicians to provide patient care.

Types of Pharmacy

There are various types of pharmacies and additional possible places for a pharmacist to work:

Community Pharmacy

The most well-known type of pharmacy in the community pharmacy is sometimes called a retail pharmacy. The pharmacy or chemist shop is the most conventional name for this category. A community pharmacist generally works in a drugstore that provides locals with prescription medicines as well as advice about how to use the medication safely and appropriately.

Hospital Pharmacy

A hospital pharmacy is where pharmaceuticals are managed at a hospital, medical clinic, or nursing home. A hospital pharmacist routinely consults with other medical professionals to optimise the patients’ pharmaceutical regimen for maximum performance. They also deal with clinical trials, pharmaceutical compounding for individualised dosing, and sterile drugs.

Clinical Pharmacy

Hospitals, other medical institutions, and nursing homes include a clinical pharmacy. The purpose of a clinical pharmacy is to ensure that patients get the most benefit from their medications by giving drug information and evaluating drug safety and efficacy. They can forecast drug interactions and so avoid numerous prescription side effects.

Industrial Pharmacy

Pharmaceutical research, marketing, production, packaging, sales and quality control are all parts of the industrial pharmacy. A salesperson representing a pharmaceutical company may operate as an industrial pharmacist, promoting the need for the company’s products and educating practitioners about the efficacies and benefits of chosen medicines.

Compounding Pharmacy

Compounding pharmacies specialise in the creation and preparation of novel medicines. Reformulating a powder tablet into a solution, for example, can help in drug administration for certain patients.

Compounding pharmacists work in the community, clinical, or residential settings, depending on the goal of their formulation. In rare cases, they may also deliver ready-made drugs.

Consulting Pharmacy

Compounding pharmacies specialise in the creation and preparation of novel medicines. Reformulating a powder tablet into a solution, for example, can help in drug administration for certain patients.

A compounding pharmacist may work in a community, residential setting, or clinically-based setups. In rare cases, they may also deliver ready-made drugs.

Conclusion

We can conclude that the pharmacy profession is an important aspect of the global healthcare system. Pharmacies with well-organised practices can help patients receive high-quality health care. 

Pharmacists used to be solely responsible for dispensing drugs. Slowly, pharmacists’ conventional function is increasing, and they are now serving as critical team members in patient care, particularly among the new generation of pharmacists. 

In remote locations, where physicians are not available, or physician services are too expensive to address healthcare needs, pharmacists play an important role in providing healthcare through community pharmacy services.