If we’re going to talk about healthcare it’s like diving deep into a vast endless ocean of topics disciplines, professions, knowledge. But before we go further, we need to clear things up a little bit. We all might see or read Health Care with two words and Healthcare with one word scattered all over the internet. Give a bit of confusion to Us. 

Definition of Healthcare

So, simply put according to Dr. Waldman, of the blog Medical Malprocess. “Health care—two words—refers to provider actions. Healthcare—one word—is a system. We need the second in order to have the first,” Health care is the specific things that people do: see a patient or prescribe medication. Healthcare is an industry, the system by which people get the health care they need.

Pharmacy in Healthcare

As We already know that Healthcare is a system that is supported by many disciplines that is important to its growth. Specifically one of these disciplines is Pharmacy. Pharma is the root word of Pharmacy, which is the knowledge and procedure of manufacturing as well as administration of drugs. To be more specific Pharmacy is a clinical health science that links medical science with chemistry and it is charged with the discovery, production, disposal, safe and effective use, and control of medications and drugs. Pharmacists are responsible for the preparation of the dosage forms of drugs, such as tablets, capsules, and sterile solutions for injection.

History of Pharmacy

Pharmacy is an ancient discipline, the art of healing as old as time. A short history of pharmacy can be traced all over the world, from the Greek mythology of Hygieia. She is known as an apothecary or pharmacist of Asclepius the Greek god of medicine. Hygieia’s duty is compounding Asclepius’s remedies. From ancient Greek to clay tablets record prescriptions for medicine that was found in the 4th millennium BC in Sumeria. All the way to India in the form of The Sushruta Samhita, an ancient Sanskrit text on medicine and surgery.

The Important Role of Pharmacy

As We already discussed above, pharmacy holds a critical role in the Healthcare system. Pharmacy’s existence is to support and sustain the healthcare system. Including clinical services, reviewing medications for safety and efficacy, and providing drug information. the important role of pharmacy can be further elaborated as below :

1. Processing of Prescriptions

The pharmacist verifies the legality, safety, and appropriateness of the prescription order, checks the patient medication record before dispensing the prescription.

2. Care of patients or clinical pharmacy

The 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 advise the patient of drug-related precautions. 

3. Monitoring of drug utilization

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. 

4. Extemporaneous preparation and small-scale manufacture of medicines

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. 

5. Traditional and alternative medicines

 In some countries, pharmacists supply traditional medicines and dispense homeopathic prescriptions.

6. Responding to symptoms of minor ailments

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. 

7. Informing health care professionals and the public

The pharmacist can compile and maintain information on all medicines, and particularly on newly introduced medicines.

8. 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, for example, rational use of drugs, alcohol abuse, tobacco use, discouragement of drug use during pregnancy, organic solvent abuse, poison prevention. 

9. 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.

So, now that you know a little bit better how important pharmacy’s role is in healthcare you probably might consider yourself to be a pharmacist. Not only it is a noble job but also has a promising future career path.