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Pharmacists storm the media
Blogs are not edited by PJ staff*. The opinions expressed in this blog do not necessarily reflect those of The Pharmaceutical Journal.
*Blog pieces that have previously been printed in the PJ and Clinical Pharmacist are edited.
By Connie Pringle
2 May 2012
Since I completed my final year
research project, life has become one long revision session.
Occasionally, however, I do browse my twitter feed, read my emails,
catch bits of the news and talk to people outside of my house/the library.
Today, on doing so I
faced bombardment from every angle about a report on prescribing errors,
published today by the GMC. Sources from my Dad (who dropped me an email this morning while I was still sleeping) to BBC news have been informing me throughout the day that pharmacy 'heroes' are hitting the headlines for their vital
role in patient safety and medicines management.
The long and short of it can be explored via PJ Online News and the RPS website, which has links to various television news items including pharmacist interviews - definitely worth a listen!
The upshot is that recent GMC research shows that 1 in 6 prescriptions given to patients contain errors- ranging from minor details to severe clinical errors. Although I'm told I can expect to see some prescribing howlers in the real world (when I eventually get there!) I know that the vast majority of prescribers do a brilliant job. These figures sound bad, but we must recognise that doctors are human too, and the ones trained to be experts in medicines...Since checking prescriptions for clinical accuracy and appropriateness for specific patients at the point of dispensing is traditionally the bread and butter of pharmacy, this news is good publicity for a profession traditionally overlooked.
So, its time to get in there, right? Time to cut the nonsense about giving pharmacists a bigger role to play through clinical commissioning groups. It's certainly true that the world needs to know what pharmacists do, but I think at times, that the profession can be guilty of 'bigging itself up' in the wrong way. We're tempted to look at the big picture, and any changes that pop up, in light of how the world percieves the role Pharmacy has to play. The real question, however, is not 'what do people think that we do?' but 'what will we actually do?'.
Neal Patel, a pharmacist and Head of RPS Communications, spoke to BBC News this morning, suggesting a much needed focus shift for pharmacists; away from simply driving down the cost of medicines and towards collaborating with GPs to optomise prescribing for the benefit of patients. I've even heard the radical suggestion that an 'in-house' pharmacist in every GP practice would be beneficial to help patients get the best from their medicines.
It's a wild idea to be throwing around in public, particularly in light of the current political climate, but collaborative working is a great idea - it doesn't take four years of university to work that out!
Bigging oursleves up?
I completely disagree with you with regards to pharmacists bigging themselves up. We are the last profession that does this, and to the profession's detriment. I have been qualified for just over a year and feel the opposite. Pharmacy as a profession doesn't highlight the roles which we do undertake and as a results no one outside of the profession truely appreciates what we do.
I am a hospital pharmacist and when seeing patients on my ward round, I introduce myself and explain that I'm here to look at the patient's drug chart and see what the doctors have prescribed. Often patients won't let me get past the "Hello, my name is Jaimin. I'm the pharmacist and I've come to look at your medicine chart." before cutting me off and saying that I've come to order their medicines. The reputation we currently hold with the general public is, I feel, one of picking a box off the shelf and sticking a label on it. The perception we hold with the public really needs to change before we can consider increasing the clinical role we actually play. Once people realise what we actually do, I think they will then be more enthusiastic about increasing our role and fully utilising our skills.
Improving the image of pharmacists...
I agree with Jaimin that pharmacists need to improve their image in the eye of the public before expecting to have a more clinical role. I recently read an article on PJ about the benefits of doing optional further training for pharmacists to obtain Doctorate in Pharmacy (DPharm). That way the members of the public are more likely to trust us because of the prestige from the Dr. title. Currently most members of the public are not even aware that pharmacists go through years of training.
Besides I do not think that even everyone within the profession is appreciating what we are doing as pharmacists! For instance there is a tension from working with pharmacy technicians who believe they are just like a pharmacist!! Technically they are doing the same things and the narrow pay difference between pharmacist and techs highlights how insignificant the pharmacist role is. I am a qualified technician myself with 7years of experience and currently am finishing my 4th year MPharm. Still wondering if I made the write choice to study pharmacy.. 4 years of education and pre-reg still to come and more & more of lick it, stick it, pour it, make it on the treadmill of dispensing, providing customer service and bearing the abuse customers as if it's a fast food chain!!
words and actions
Hi Jaimin and Babak - thanks for your comments!
Don't get me wrong, however. I do agree with you that the role of pharmacy is often misunderstood amongst patients and the public. I'm looking forward to demonstrating during my pre-reg year that pharmacy is more than just sticking labels on boxes! It was great to see positive publicity and pharmacists hitting the headlines recently.
What I mean to say is that maybe we spend too much time thinking about what we do, (or what we'd like to be seen to do) and not enough time simply doing it! Surely people will only understand and embrace the diversity and utility of our profession if they see it in action.
'Bigging up' pharmacy shouldn't be left to the RPS communications guy on BBC breakfast (a great appearance though it was!) but led by pro-active pharmacists showing that they can be involved in patient care in a big way. Hopefully that's you, and one day soon it will be me too!
I really don't think we should wait until people fully understand the wider scope of our professional role before we fulfill it...we could be waiting a while!