Role of the pharmacist in contemporary society

Abstract

The profession of pharmacy has experienced significant growth and development over the past hundred years. Pharmacy entered twentieth century performing the social role of apothecary – preparing and selling medicinal drugs. The traditional role of the pharmacist as a compounder and supplier of pharmaceutical products began to wane as the preparation of pharmaceuticals was gradually taken over by the pharmaceutical industry. Compounding has been largely replaced by the commercial manufacture of nearly all formulations. There are also a number of new ways of medication supply - Medicines can be bought in supermarkets, in drug stores or at markets. They can also be obtained by mail order or over the Internet, they are sold by medical practitioners and dispensed by computerized dispensing machines. And as the choice of therapeutic agents passed to the physicians, the pharmacist professional role was narrowly constrained. At the same time – growing numbers in not rational drug use and drug related morbidity and mortality did show some serious problems for the society and did show the new opportunities for the pharmacist. Pharmacists get ready to change its original focus on medicine supply towards a more inclusive focus on patient care. Pharmaceutical care is a new concept of pharmacy practice which emerged in the mid-1970s. It states that all practitioners should assume responsibility for the outcomes of drug therapy in their patients. The scope of pharmacy practice now includes patient-centred care with all the cognitive functions of counselling, providing drug information and monitoring drug therapy, as well as technical aspects of pharmaceutical services, including medicines supply management. In patientcentred health care, the first challenges are to identify and meet the changing needs of patients. Pharmacists need to ensure that people can access medicines or pharmaceutical advice easily and, as far as possi