Role of Community Pharmacist 1

Assignment of Community Pharmacy

COMMUNITY PHARMACY:
Community pharmacies are pharmacist-owned, privately-held businesses in varying practice settings.
They include single-store operations, pharmacist-owned multiple store locations, franchise,
compounding, long term-care (LTC), specialty, and supermarket pharmacy operation.

COMMUNITY PHARMACIST:
Pharmacists in community pharmacies dispense medications, counsel patients on the use of prescription
and over-the-counter medications, and advise physicians about medication therapy. They also advise
patients about general health topics, such as diet, exercise, and stress management, and provide

November 8, 2010
information on products, such as durable medical equipment or home healthcare supplies. In addition,
they often complete third-party insurance forms and other paperwork.

In community pharmacies, pharmacists usually begin at the staff level. Pharmacists in chain drugstores
may be promoted to pharmacy supervisor or store manager. Some pharmacists may be promoted to
manager at the district or regional level and, later, to an executive position within the chain's
headquarters.

ROLE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST:

Community pharmacists are the health professionals most accessible to the public. They supply
medicines in accordance with a prescription or, when legally permitted, sell them without a prescription.
In addition to ensuring an accurate supply of appropriate products, their professional activities also
cover counseling of patients at the time of dispensing of prescription and non-prescription drugs, drug
information to health professionals, patients and the general public, and participation in health-
promotion programmes. They maintain links with other health professionals in primary health care.
Pharmacists have progressively undertaken the additional task of ensuring the quality of the products
they supply.

Community pharmacists work in retail pharmacies within the community that they serve. Retail
pharmacies can be small or large, stand alone or part of another business, such as a pharmacy within a
grocery store or big box retailer. Some community pharmacists have jobs in a large chain that operates
thousands of pharmacies across the country, while others work for, or even own, small independent
pharmacies.

The main activities of community pharmacists are described below:

1. PROFESSIONAL BEHAVIOUR
 A community pharmacist shall accept responsibility for their own professional activities and for
all activities undertaken under their direct supervision.
Role of Community Pharmacist 2
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

 A community pharmacist must at all times uphold the reputation of the profession and must act
according to the laws and regulations governing the profession and adhere to the code of
professional conduct.

 A community pharmacist must exercise professional judgment to prevent the supply of products
likely to constitute an unacceptable hazard to health or the supply of unnecessary and/or
excessive quantities of medicines and other products, particularly those which have a potential
for abuse or dependency.

 A community pharmacist must maintain a contemporary knowledge of pharmacy practice issues

and professional knowledge in order to ensure a high standard of professional competence.

November 8, 2010
A community pharmacist must neither agree to practice under conditions which compromise
their professional independence, judgment or integrity, nor impose such conditions on other
pharmacists.

 A community pharmacist must respect the skills and expertise of other health professionals and
work cooperatively with them to optimize the health outcomes of their mutual clients.

2. PROVIDING A PRESCRIPTTION INTERVENTION SERVICE

 The community pharmacist verifies the legality, safety and appropriateness of the prescription
order.

 He checks the patient medication record before dispensing the prescription (when such records
are kept in the pharmacy).

 Ensures that the quantities of medication are dispensed accurately.

 A community pharmacist decides whether the medication should be handed to the patient, with
appropriate counseling, by a pharmacist.

STEPS INVOLVED:

When a prescription is received,

 a community pharmacist checks the name of the drug and the dosage on the prescription.
 First, a safe dosage must be assured.
 Next, the pharmacist reviews the patients medication history to be sure there are no adverse or
allergic contraindications that would make the drug dangerous for the patient to take.
 Once the prescription has been initially reviewed, the pharmacist or another employee, called a
pharmacy technician, retrieves the correct drug and dispenses it in the correct quantity.
 The community pharmacist will then check the filled prescription again to ensure that it is the
correct medication and strength before releasing it to the patient.

3. CARE OF PATIENT OR CLINICAL PHARMACY

Role of Community Pharmacist 3
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

A community pharmacist
 seeks to collect and integrate information about the patient’s drug history,
 clarify the patient’s understanding of the intended dosage regimen and method of
administration,
 and advises the patient of drug-related precautions, monitors and evaluates the therapeutic
response.
 Community pharmacist also prepare dosette and cassette boxes. It is usually used for the elderly
patients but also for those with memory/learning difficulties where tablets are placed in
compartments for specified days of the week.
 Community pharmacist has al-ways played a vital role in a therapeutic committee established
for the proper health care system.

November 8, 2010
4. COMMUNICATION SKILLS
 A community pharmacist should have excellent communication skills and be able to speak
on a professional level with peers and doctors, as well as in laymen's terms to patients.
 A community pharmacist is also able to communicate with people despite possible language
barriers and other factors of diversity.
 Community pharmacists should understand patient needs, that is why it is necessary for a
pharmacist to develop
- Listening skills,
- Questioning skills
 The pharmacist must listen to the patient’s problem patiently as well as address him/her the
treatment and ensure the patient that he is being treated well as well as the pharmacist
should also question the patient about history of the disease, how it was acquired so that
effective treatment becomes possible.

5. COUNSELING SKILLS
Community pharmacists counsel and advise patients on a wide array of health topics. .
Community pharmacists may help aide in the selection of durable medical equipment such as
walkers, canes and therapeutic humidifiers. Some are trained to administer vaccines and may
provide flu shots to their patients. They also counsel patients on the selection of over the
counter medications.
 OFFERING A DIABETES SCREENING SERVICE:
Community pharmacist may help a diabetic patient understand the correct usage of a blood
glucose monitoring device or give suggestions to an asthmatic on ways to control symptoms.
They may offer advice on diet and exercise or smoking cessation programs.
 NUTRITION COUNSELING
Community pharmacist can make, significant contributions in assuring adequate nutrition by
advising his patients about basic food needs, keeping to correct improper food habits in
children, advising on special requirements, suggesting special diet instructions for diabetic
patients and people with food allergy and participating in school lunch programs and schemes
like mid-day meals etc. in rural areas.
Role of Community Pharmacist 4
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

 WOMEN WELFARE-PREGNANCY AND INFANT CARE

The pharmacist who understands the normal course of pregnancy and infancy is at a distinct
advantage as he or she can guide the mother in simple matters of hygiene and management.
Efforts are definitely underway in this area.

 SEXUALLY TRANSMITTED DISEASE-AIDS

India has 3.5 million HIV positive cases, which is about 10% of the global HIV cases and barely
second to South Africa. HIV drugs are expensive and beyond the reach of common man. Huge
resource of community pharmacist can educate people in the prevention and information of
HIV/AIDS.

November 8, 2010
 ALCOHOLS, DRUG ABUSE AND SMOKING CESSATION
The diseases of alcoholism and drug abuse also come under the preview of the community
pharmacist. The pharmacist has a key role to help individuals who become dependent upon
alcohol. Drug abuse is similar to alcoholism yet different because it has been gaining more
acceptances among young people.
It is the responsibility of a community pharmacist to take an active role in helping the smokers
to stop smoking. Counseling sessions can be made by the community pharmacist to stop
smoking.
 FAMILY PLANNING
One of the greatest needs of the hour is to control the tremendously increasing population. A
community pharmacist is the one who can control this rising population by counseling with
people and doing programmes which exhibit the problems related with large families. He can
tell the various families planning measures that are available in the market at affordable prices.
He can educate the people and convince them about the advantages of having small families.

6. EXTEMPORANEOUS PREPARATION AND SMALL SCALE MANUFACTURE OF

MEDICINE
Community pharmacists everywhere continue to prepare medicines in the pharmacy.

 This enables them to adapt the formulation of a medicine to the needs of an individual
patient.
 New developments in drugs and delivery systems may well extend the need for
individually adapted medicines and thus increase the pharmacist’s need to continue
with pharmacy formulation.
 In some countries, developed and developing, pharmacists engage in the small-scale
manufacture of medicines, which must accord with good manufacturing and distribution
practice guidelines.

7. MONITORING OF DRUG UTILIZATION

Role of Community Pharmacist 5
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

The pharmacist can participate in arrangements for monitoring the utilization of drugs, such as practice
research projects, and schemes to analyze prescriptions for the monitoring of adverse drug reactions.

8. TRADITIONAL AND ALTERNATIVE MEDICINES

In some countries, pharmacists supply traditional medicines and dispense homoeopathic prescriptions.
W.H.O. promotes the safe and effective use of traditional medicines.

9. EDUCATE PATIENTS ABOUT THEIR MEDICATIONS

A community pharmacist is an expert on both prescription and over-the-counter medications. As such,
they have a duty to advise their patients on the proper usage of their prescription drugs.

November 8, 2010
This includes

 ensuring that the patient knows the correct dosage of their medication,
 The correct way to measure this dosage and how often it should be taken.
 Additionally, community pharmacists educate patients on the potential side effects of their
medications and advise them on dangerous adverse reactions that should be reported to the
patient's physician.

10. ADVISE PHYSICIANS ON DRUG SELECTIONS

Many community pharmacists work with their patients' physicians to offer suggestions on which drugs
to choose. Pharmacists are experts on prescription drugs and may be very helpful to physicians,
especially when a patient is taking a large number of prescription medications that may interact with
each other. A pharmacist helps advise physicians on which drugs can be taken safely together and which
cannot because of dangerous adverse reactions.

11. INFORMING HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS AND THE PUBLIC

The community pharmacist can compile and maintain information on all medicines, and particularly on
newly introduced medicines, provide this information as necessary to other health care professionals
and to patients, and use it in promoting the rational use of drugs, by providing advice and explanations
to physicians and to members of the public.

12. HEALTH PROMOTION

The pharmacist can take part in health promotion campaigns, locally and nationally, on a wide range of
health-related topics, and particularly on drug-related topics (e.g., rational use of drugs, alcohol abuse
etc) or topics concerned with other health problems (diarrhoeal diseases, tuberculosis, leprosy, HIV-
infection/AIDS) and family planning. They may also take part in the education of local community groups
in health promotion, and in campaigns on disease prevention, such as the Expanded Programme on
Immunization, and malaria and blindness programmes.
Role of Community Pharmacist 6
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

13. DOMICILIARY SERVICES

In a number of countries, the pharmacist provides an advisory as well as a supply service to residential
homes for the elderly, and other long-term patients. In some countries, policies are being developed
under which pharmacists will visit certain categories of house-bound patients to provide the counseling
service that the patients would have received had they been able to visit the pharmacy. A community
pharmacist also plays a role in arranging the delivery of prescription medicines to patient.

14. COUNSELING AND ADVISING PUBLIC ON THE TREATMENT OF

MINOR AILMENTS

November 8, 2010
The pharmacist receives requests from members of the public for advice on a variety of symptoms and,
when indicated, refers the inquiries to a medical practitioner. If the symptoms relate to a self-limiting
minor ailment, the pharmacist can supply a non-prescription medicine, with advice to consult a medical
practitioner if the symptoms persist for more than a few days. Alternatively, the pharmacist may give
advice without supplying medicine.

15. ROLE OF COMMUNITY PHARMACIST IN EMERGENCY

PREPAREDNESS
The community pharmacist will be among the first healthcare practitioners to respond when the local
public health department declares a bioterrorism agent has been released, or when a new emerging
infectious disease has been detected. Community pharmacists became classified as “essential
emergency responders”. Pharmacists who serve as essential emergency responders may be requested
to help with triage functions, work with other pharmacists and volunteers to dispense hundreds, or
perhaps thousands of prescriptions per hour, provide medication education and counseling, and/or
assist with post-exposure or prophylaxis vaccinations. Advanced planning is required for pharmacists to
dispense tens of thousands of prescriptions in the most efficient manner over a four or five day period.
Pharmacist activation and participation in mass prophylaxis may require the pharmacist to travel to
other parts of the region or state, work 12-hour shifts for several days at a time and function in
nontraditional pharmacy roles. Advanced planning, training and completing exercises are important to
assure pharmacists are prepared and ready to respond with little advance notice.

16. INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Inventory is the amount of stock or merchandise that is available for sale to present and future client.
Inventory management tool maintains records for daily transactions related to sales, purchase and
expenses of company. Efficient Inventory Management (EIM) is essential to the profitability of a
pharmacy.

A community pharmacist should

Assign pharmacy technicians to manage a pharmacy bay for slow movers, short or outdated
drugs and return them to manufacturers promptly to free up cash.
Role of Community Pharmacist 7
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

Should not be afraid to ask the patient to assist the pharmacist in keeping expensive and rarely
used drugs off shelves (i.e. RA or HIV therapy). One pharmacist enlisted her patient to remind
her one week before refills were due so the medications could be ordered.
Sometimes a good patient – pharmacist relationship is all it takes to help manage the inventory.

17. BUDGETING AND FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

Financial management focuses on making wise decisions about obtaining and using financial resources.
These resources include both funds that the owner of an organization has invested in it and funds that
the organization has borrowed.

November 8, 2010
Community Pharmacist manager face such decisions:

 how much inventory to carry,

 which sources of supply to use,
 how to set prices,
 which third party prescription plans to participate in,
 which drug to include in a formulary,
 whether a new disease management service will be profitable.

Being familiar with the tools and techniques of financial management will help community
pharmacists make better decisions when faced with such questions. The principal goal of financial
management is to increase the value of the organization. A major part of achieving this goal is
making efficient use of financial resources. Because the operation of the pharmacy department is
critical to the successful financial management of any community, pharmacists need to develop
systematic budgeting systems that truly reflect costs.

18. SALE FORCASTING

Sales forecasting is estimating what a pharmacy's future sales are likely to be based on sales records as
well as market research. Information used for sales forecasting must be well organized and may include
information on the competition and statistics that affect the businesses.

The sales forecast is the basis for deciding how much to spend on various activities such as advertising
and personal sales. With advance sales of the planned amount of working capital, the use of the plant
and storage facilities. These forecasts are also dependent on the timing of production, hiring workers
and purchasing manufacturing materials.
In short, the sales forecast is critical for community pharmacists because it allows them to make
decisions in marketing, production, procurement and cash flow. Therefore, one must be prepared
carefully, because it can seriously affect the pharmaceutical company as a whole.

19. PROMOTING SALES AND DEVELOPING THE BUSINESS

Role of Community Pharmacist 8
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

Marketing and sales promotion is an important component of a medicine as a medicine that isn’t
promoted effectively, never mind how useful, it may never reach the patients who can benefit from it.
Sales promotion includes all the communications elements to create client demand through the
pharmacist and pharmacy point of sale. Marketing representatives will detail pharmacists on agreed
cycles to provide new client education and motivational materials, branded point of sale materials (like
signage), as well as community pharmacist aids to improve consumer communication. Sales promotion
also includes special activities to focus demand, such as contests, discount programs, etc.

20. OVERSEEING THE ORDERING AND SAFE STORAGE OF MEDICAL

PRODUCTS

November 8, 2010
Community pharmacists can order additional quantities of prescription medications when supplies run
low. Pharmacists can also order other over-the-counter medications and products that are needed by
individuals coming into a drugstore, such as bandages and instruct patients on the use of medicines and
medical appliances. Ninety eight percent of community pharmacist makes recommendations on over-
the-counter drug

A pharmacist must not purchase, sell or supply any medicinal product where there is reason to doubt its
safety, quality or efficacy or where there is clear, new evidence that demonstrates or places doubt on
previously established product safety or where a product may impose a hazard to the patient's health or
condition.

21. GOOD MANAGERIAL SKILLS

A community pharmacist must have good managerial skills. He should have following qualities as a
manager:

 Observation and regular visits to the work environment

 Monitor Employee Performance
 Implementation of Professional Development Programs
 Demonstrates Working Knowledge and Expertise
 Good Decision Making
 Ability to Conduct and Evaluate Research

22. LEADERSHIP SKILLS

A great community pharmacist has strong leadership skills and is able to supervise, manage and train
the pharmacy support staffs. They take charge when problems arise and can handle the stress of any
difficult situation. Community pharmacist plays a vital role in training the junior staff or pharmacy
support staff. Pharmacy support staff is pivotal to the development and modernization of pharmacy
services. With a better-trained Pharmacy Support Staff, the customer has easier access to the
Pharmacist -access that builds loyalty among our customers.
Role of Community Pharmacist 9
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

23. MAINTAINANCE OF STOCK REGISTER

To ensure proper control and security,
- Community pharmacist should keep stock in secure, “high risk” storage area, with a
single pharmacist (at any one time) responsible for receipts and issues.
- Normal stock records will be kept for all receipts and issues. Bin cards must be
maintained for each item. A running balance must be kept.
- At the end of each month, the Pharmacy Manager must check the physical stock against
the stock records. Where electronic records are kept, a hard copy of the ledger must be
printed out, signed by the pharmacist and filed for audit purposes.
- Check for overstocking (against the maximum stock levels)
- Stock control system should be used
- Stock record must to be checked and verified against actual stock monthly

November 8, 2010
- A community pharmacist must kept the stock record of narcotic drugs under his own
watch.

24. KEEP CHECK ON EXPIRY MEDICATION

Role of pharmacist is not only to prescribe and dispense medications, they also must dispose of expired
medication in a manner that is safe for people and the environment, and compiles with a law.

As a trained community pharmacist one should make a conscious effort to find out what the proper
procedures are to dispose of expired or excess medications. There are certain pharmaceuticals that are
considered to be hazardous waste like those that are prescribed for cancer chemotherapy. Therefore
pharmacist should have the knowledge to dispose such pharmaceuticals.

25. MAINTAIN CONFIDENTIAL RECORD

An important aspect of any community pharmacist's job is to maintain accurate and confidential records
on all patients. In order for a pharmacist to ensure that a patient will not experience dangerous drug
interactions, he must be sure that the drug history is continually updated.

26. SITUATION HANDELING SKILLS

Community pharmacists should have evidence-based decision making and problem-solving skills. He
should be able to control any type of emergency conditions he faces under his watch. For that purpose a
community pharmacist must have situation handling skills. He must know how to work under pressure.

27. GOOD COMPUTER SKILLS

The introduction of computers in the work place is promoted as a means for increasing efficiency and
productivity.
Role of Community Pharmacist 10
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

In pharmacy, the computer is commonly incorporated to assist in a variety of service functions

and it is clear that the utilitarian potential of the computer continues to evolve. The introduction of
computers in pharmacies has also been beneficial to pharmacists in a variety of service functions ( e.g.,
label preparation, access to patient data, detection of drug interactions and other clinical information,
facilitation of drug utilization reviews (DURs) and patient assessments, and provision of a means for
documentation of professional activities and services).
Therefore to use technology effectively for the advancement of patient care, community pharmacists
must possess a variety of computer skills. A great pharmacist has excellent computer skills and can use
software programs to take new orders, find drug information, and manage inventory, among other
tasks.

28. HYGIENIC CONDITION

November 8, 2010
A community pharmacist must maintain the following hygienic condition in pharmacy
 There must be an area where equipment and other utensils can be washed
this has a source of hot and cold tap water.
 There must be a suitable, clean wash hand basin made of a smooth, washable
and impermeable material which is easy to maintain in a hygienic condition and
has a source of hot and cold tap water and a closed drainage system.
 Toilet facilities must be kept clean and in good order.
 Hand-washing facilities must be provided in the toilet area or the lobby together with a conspicuous
notice requesting users to wash their hands. Facilities must include readily available hot water, soap and
clean towels or other satisfactory means of drying the hands.
 Toilet areas must not be used for storage, or as a source of water for dispensing.
 Pharmacy should be situated in a clean environment.

29. KEEPING UP-TO-DATE WITH CURRENT PHARMACY PRACTICE, NEW

DRUGS AND THERE USES
The introduction of new drugs into the marketplace is one of the most important topics for pharmacists.
For pharmacists to remain current it is imperative to possess knowledge of innovations and
advancements. It is equally important to understand current legal issues affecting pharmacy practice.

A Community pharmacist should be able to

 Identify the indications, routes of administration, important pharmacokinetic properties, and

unique characteristics of new therapeutic agents marketed.
 Identify the most important adverse effects and precautions of the new drugs.
 Compare the new drugs to the older therapeutic agents to which they are most similar in
activity.

Some pharmacists are involved in research for pharmaceutical manufacturers, developing new drugs
and testing their effects.

30. UNDERTAKING MEDICINE USE REVEIWS

Role of Community Pharmacist 11
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

It’s an advance service to help patients understand how their medicines work and why they have to take
them.

31. SELLING HEALTH CARE AND OTHER PRODUCTS

In pharmacy stores a community pharmacist apart from selling medicines can also sell items of houseful
needs these may include toiletries, perfumes, cosmetics and photographic items.

32. AGRICULTURAL AND VETERINARY PRACTICE

Pharmacists supply animal medicines and medicated animal feeds. Supply information regarding safety,
efficacy to veterinary doctor or public engaged with live stock or agriculture.

November 8, 2010
Role of Community Pharmacist 12
Assignment of Community Pharmacy

November 8, 2010