Pharmacists are medicine or drugs specialists who specialize in the proper usage, storage, preservation, and distribution of medications. They can help you understand how to take drugs and warn you about possible side effects. Doctors and other healthcare professionals write prescriptions, which pharmacists fill.
There are different fields in which pharmacists work. They help with drug development and testing. Pharmacies, medical clinics, hospitals, universities, and government agencies hire them.
1. Administer Vaccines
Pharmacists are educated and have the necessary knowledge, training, and skills to give vaccines. And it’s not just the flu shot. Pharmacists can also provide immunisations to safeguard against diseases including polio, shingles, tetanus, chickenpox, and more!
In the future, pharmacists will be able to play a critical role in the delivery of COVID-19 vaccines because of their expertise and knowledge.
2. Help You Quit Smoking
Smoking cessation and counselling are one of the main areas of expertise of Pharmacists. They are educated to help people quit smoking. Community pharmacists can give continuing assistance and services in addition to prescribing suitable drugs to help you quit smoking.
3. Offer Advice Regarding Dietary Supplements
Your pharmacist can help you guide the world of dietary supplements by informing you which supplement type, brand, and dosage would be ideal for your needs. So, when you visit a drug store next time, you must consult the pharmacist for supplements. Moreover, if a doctor prescribes a nutritional supplement, then a pharmacist can also guide you accordingly and provide prescription delivery services for your nutritional supplements.
4. Medication therapy management
Pharmacists’ drug understanding extends beyond simply filling your doctor’s prescription. Pharmacists are trained to spot treatment duplication, drug interactions, drug-food interactions, and even cost-cutting options. Pharmacists are so good at these tasks that some insurance companies pay for them. Pharmacists are experts in looking at a patient’s entire health picture rather than just a single prescription. Pharmacists may notice products, supplements, and medicines you must require based on your medical history, or they may see changes to remove medications from your prescription.
5. Create a Personalized Medication Calendar
Issues may arise if you take many prescription (and non-prescription) drugs. Your community pharmacist can assist you in creating a personalized medication calendar, so you know when and how to handle each one.
6. Educate You on Medication Interactions
The presence of pharmacists is a must as a medication specialist in every healthcare team. This means they collaborate closely with your prescribing physicians to find the correct medications for you. As the drug specialist on your health care team, they can inform you about drug-drug interactions or whether certain medicines are right for you or not so you don’t have any life-threatening side effects.
7. Assist You in Managing Health Conditions
In managing chronic health disorders like high blood pressure, chronic pain, asthma, and diabetes, pharmacists are experts. Usually, pharmacists can perform simple tests (such as blood glucose levels) to assess whether further specialized care is required. Moreover, pharmacists can aid patients in learning how to lessen the symptoms they are experiencing due to persistent health concerns.
8. Advise You on Over-The-Counter Medications
Pharmacists are experts in both prescription medicines and OTC medicines. They may assist you in finding the proper OTC drug and ensuring that it does not interact poorly with your other prescriptions. They can recommend OTC medicines for minor ailments. They can also help you in managing prescription delivery.
9. Front-line Disease Testing
Pharmacists are skilled in conducting medical tests for a variety of diseases. They can conduct flu and strep tests and, in many situations, provide effective medication for those who test positive. Blood sugar monitoring, cholesterol screenings, and haemoglobin A1c tests are all tests that pharmacists may help with. What was formerly solely available at your doctor’s office or laboratory is now available at your local pharmacy.
10. Guidance About the use of Antibiotics
One severe issue that the medical community is dealing with is Antibiotic resistance. Antibiotic overuse and misuse have resulted in the emergence of resistant bacteria or germs that no longer respond to previously effective medicines. Pharmacists are experts in determining which medications are effective against which microorganisms. In addition, they have received training in inpatient counselling for new medication. Many antibiotics have side effects that should be understood before beginning treatment. They can convey the risks of not finishing an antibiotic course or taking antibiotics when the infection is most likely viral.