What exactly do pharmacists do? Where can pharmacists work? Both are questions that many people are uncertain of. Pharmacists can play multiple roles that the general public is not aware of. From your common community pharmacy setting to the hospital. One important area that pharmacists can fit into is public health. Public health is not an area that people commonly associate pharmacists with. Pharmacy is often thought of as product and transaction oriented. Over the past several years, the profession has shifted into a more clinical role, that has a more patient-centered approach.
Public health, defined by the CDC, is the science of protecting and improving the health of people and their communities. Public health services are characterized into two levels: macro-level and micro-level. Macro-level public health services focus on the well-being of the population as a whole. The micro-level focuses on implementation of public health services. Services included on the micro level are activities such as smoking cessation, immunizations, health screenings, patient counseling, and adverse reaction monitoring. Macro level services include formulating policies and programs that help improve the community.
Pharmacists can contribute to improving public health in whichever setting they choose a career in. Pharmacists working in health systems perform tasks geared toward optimal therapy for individual patients. The knowledge gained from one patient can then be used to develop protocols for treatment of other patients in the same population. They also identify adverse drugs events which helps develop strategies that could prevent the events from happening again or learning how to better handle the event should it arise. Identification of adverse drug events is also achieved in the community pharmacy setting. When patients have a bad experience with a medication, the pharmacist is often one of the first people they make aware. Another major service provided by pharmacists is patient counseling. Counseling patients on appropriate medication use can lead to better behavioral and clinical outcomes for patients. Vaccinations are often administered in community pharmacies. Vaccines can aid in disease prevention. Pharmacists are licensed and perfectly positioned to provide this service. Disease prevention and control is a major sector of public health.
Pharmacists are constantly coming up with new avenues to explore. The profession has evolved far beyond the traditional role that most people are used to. The skill set that is acquired through school and training can be applied across multiple disciplines. Being one of the most accessible healthcare professionals puts pharmacists in a key position to assist in improving public health in all communities.
