Question 44 and 45

By; Mitti Tonny

VU-BPC-2407-1567-DAY

What are some emerging trends

and challenges facing the
Pharmacy profession.
Pharmacy profession is a career that requires a specialized education, ongoing
training and knowledge of dispensing, preparing medication, and providing drug-
related information to the public.
Emerging trends in the profession
of pharmacy
Telepharmacy and remote services
Telepharmacy is the delivery of pharmaceutical care
via telecommunications to the patients in locations
where they may not have direct contact to the
pharmacist. Telepharmacy is now implemented in the
field of Pharmacy and Telepharmacy services includes
drug therapy monitoring, patient counselling,
medication reviews and monitoring patients
adherence with the aid of virtual platform like
teleconferencing, zoom and Google Meet among
others. Thus providing pharmaceutical care to
patients in remote areas
Extended roles of the pharmacists in patient
care
This is a significant shift from the traditional
focus on dispensing medication to a more
active participation in direct patient health
management
Pharmacists are increasingly involved in
clinical care, managing chronic diseases,
administering vaccines, and offering health
screenings. This has reduced the burden on
physicians and improves patient outcomes by
ensuring proper management of long-term
conditions.
Electronic health Records and Pharmacy Management

Electronic Health Records and pharmacy

Management
This is a secure system that is used by Pharmacists to
manage and store patients and the pharmacy records.
This enables Pharmacists to access the patients health
information, medication history, and drug interactions
in Real-Time. This promotes better communication
among the health care providers, reducing medication
errors and enhancing Patient safety. The integration of
technology in pharmacy practice has led to significant
improvement in workflow efficiency.
Automated Dispensing System and Robotics

Automated dispensing system

This is a computer-controlled system that automate
the dispensing of medications in the pharmacies
while Robotics are automated storage and retrieval
systems are used in the healthcare industry to
count, pack , label, and securely store medical and
pharmaceutical products.
This helps to reduce human errors, improve
accuracy and standard, free up Pharmacists time for
more patient-focused activities

Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs)

Most pharmacies in the U.S. and many other
countries have access to PDMPs, which are state-run
databases that track the dispensing of controlled
substances. Pharmacists check these databases to
identify potential prescription abuse, fraud, or
 Artificial intelligence and Data
analytics

 Modern Artificial intelligence tools allow

pharmacists to discover new medicine faster, using
machine learning and big data. The application of
Artificial intelligence in small-molecule drug
discovery include virtual screening, quantitative
structure-activity relationship and drug design.
Artificial intelligence also assist pharmacists in
predicting Drug interactions and treatment response.
These tools enable personalized medicine and
support evidence based decision.
 Collaborative practice
agreements
In some regions, pharmacists are entering into collaborative practice agreements with physicians,
which allows them to manage a patient’s medication therapy. This can include initiating, adjusting,
or discontinuing medications, all under a framework that facilitates teamwork between healthcare
professionals.
Mobile Health and Medication Adherence Apps

Mobile Health Apps promotes medication

adherence by providing medication reminders,
Tracking Drug usage, and offering educational
resources for patients. This enhance patient
engagement and self-management of chronic
conditions. For example the patient compliance
dashboard that can show your next scheduled
dose.
 Challenges facing the pharmacy
profession
Work force shortage
As healthcare demands increase due to an aging
population, chronic disease prevalence, and new
drug deliveries. The need for the pharmacists and
pharmacy technicians has outpaced supply due to;
increased demands for healthcare pharmacy services,
expanded scope of practice and educational barriers
which requires extensive education and training. So
shortage of pharmacists and pharmacy technicians
results into delayed or inadequate patient care,
leading to poor health outcomes.
work related burnout and stress

The pharmacy profession is experiencing

heightened workloads and responsibilities
since the existing pharmacy staff may be
forced to handle a higher workload to
compensate for the shortage leading to
increased stress, burnout, and potential
dispensing errors. This can negatively
impact the quality of care provided and
the overall well-being of the pharmacy
professionals.
 Limited autonomy

Limited autonomy in pharmacy profession refers to

the constraints pharmacists face in exercising full
independence in their practice.
Unlike some professions for example medicine,
pharmacists often work under the supervision of
physicians and have less autonomy in making
independent decisions.
For example pharmacists’ ability to prescribe or
modify treatments is often limited by the regional
laws, limiting their authority compared to
physicians. The scope of practice varies widely,
with some areas allowing more autonomy, while
others confine pharmacists to dispensing.
antimicrobial resistance

Antimicrobial resistance is a significant challenge in

the pharmacy profession, as it threatens the
effectiveness of antibiotics, antiviruses and other
antimicrobial treatments. Antimicrobial resistance is
caused by overprescribing and limited treatment thus
misuse.
Pharmacists play a crucial role in combating
antimicrobial resistance through optimizing antimicrobial
use, educating patients about completing antimicrobial
dose courses and other healthcare providers.
 Technological disruptions
Technological disruptions in the pharmacy
profession poses challenges like job
displacement due to automation of dispensing,
counting, packaging, labelling and storage of
pharmaceutical products in pharmacies and
pharmaceutical industries. This reduce the
demand for traditional roles of the pharmacists
and pharmacy technicians.
Pharmacists must also continuously update
their skills to keep the pace with rapidly
evolving technologies, thus pressure to adapt
to new systems while maintaining high-quality
patient care.
Question 45
• Discuss potential directions for
pharmacy practice and the evolving
role of the pharmacists in healthcare
delivery?

• Pharmacy practice is the discipline within pharmacy

that involves developing the professional roles of a
pharmacist
• A pharmacist is health care professional licensed to
engage in pharmacy with duties including dispensing
prescribed drugs, monitoring drug interaction, and
counseling patients regarding the effects and proper
usage of drugs and dietary.
Potential future directions of pharmacy practice

Pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine

pharmacogenomics is the study of how genes affect a
person’s response to drugs.
Personalized medicine is the practice of using an individual’s
genetic profile to guide decisions made in regards to prevention,
diagnosis, and treatment of diseases.
The future of pharmacy practice will likely see an increased
integration of pharmacogenomics and personalized medicine
through continuous education, interdisciplinary collaboration, and
genetics testing technologies.
This optimize dosage regimens since genetic information can
guide dosage adjustments, ensuring that patients receive the
optimal amount of medication and personalized treatment plans
consider various factors like metabolism rates and other individual
differences, to determine the best dosage for each patient.
 Sustainability and green
pharmacy
The future pharmacy will likely see a greater Sustainability in pharmacy
emphasis on sustainability and green and emphasizes efficient use of
green practices. resources, reducing energy
Sustainability is the practice that ensure long- consumption in pharmacies, and
term health benefits while reducing advocating for renewable resources
environmental impact and conserving in pharmaceutical production. These
resources. practices aim to balance healthcare
needs with environmental
Green pharmacy is an approach in the protection, aligning pharmacy with
pharmaceutical industry aimed at minimizing broader. global sustainability
the environmental impact of drug production,
usage, and disposal.
Green pharmacy promotes the development,
production, and disposal of medications in
ways that minimize pollution and waste. This
involves creating eco-friendly pharmaceuticals,
reducing harmful chemical byproducts and
encouraging proper disposal methods to
prevent environmental contamination.
 Regulatory changes

• With the growing demands for healthcare services, there

could be regulatory changes that grant pharmacists more
authority , such as the ability to prescribe medication
independently and expanding their scope of practice. The
pharmacy practice is evolving from a product-focused model
to a more patient-centered, technology-enhanced
profession.
Digital health

Digital health is transforming pharmacy practice, with telepharmacy and mobile health apps
offering promising future directions.
Telepharmacy allows pharmacists to provide services remotely, using video consultations, online
prescriptions, and virtual patient monitoring. This increases access of pharmacists to patients in
remote areas and efficient monitoring through virtual follow-ups for chronic conditions like diabetes
and hypertension improving patient adherence and outcomes.
Mobile health apps are becoming essential tools for improving medication, patient education and
health monitoring through medication reminders.
Digital health innovations are streamlining pharmacy practice, making it more adaptable to patient
needs, and promoting better health outcomes in the future.
 Expanded clinical roles

Expanded clinical roles for pharmacists represent a promising future direction in pharmacy
practice. These roles include prescribing medication independently, managing chronic diseases, and
providing preventive care, which can significantly improve patients outcomes and healthcare
accessibility. This will allow pharmacists to utilize their full scope of skills and knowledge thus
offering a more comprehensive and personalized care.
This shift also helps address healthcare workforce shortages and enhance the efficiency of
healthcare delivery.
 Artificial intelligence and automation

Artificial intelligence and automation are becoming key drivers in the future field of pharmacy
practice.
Automation in drug dispensing is already becoming a reality, with robotics capable of accurately
prescriptions, reducing human errors and freeing up pharmacists to focus more on patient care.
Artificial intelligence accelerates the the process of discovery of new drugs by analyzing biological
data. Machine learning models can predict how different molecules will interact, cutting down the
time and cost associated with drug
The evolving roles of pharmacists in health care delivery
Health screening and preventive care

Health screening is the medical test performed to detect

early signs of health problem or diseases in individuals who
may not yet have symptoms, with the goal of preventing
illness or death from that disease.
Pharmacists helps in early detection of diseases, improving
patient outcomes. It promotes preventive care by
identifying risk factors and managing chronic conditions.
This service enhances community health and reduces
healthcare costs.
Chronic disease management and referral

explanation
summary
Chronic disease management is the type of care
that can be provided by pharmacists and aims to
control symptoms and slow or stop disease
progression.
Referral is a situation where patients are
signposted to most appropriate healthcare
providers in order to reduce inappropriate use of
health and social care services.
Pharmacists are adjusting medication for diabetes
, monitor patient progress with medication, and
counseling patients to ensure adherence.
Reporting of adverse drug events

Pharmacists are responsible for reporting any adverse drug reactions and events. This done using
the standard NDA form available on the NDA website and pharmacovigilance centers. This form
tries to collect as much information as possible about the suspected adverse drug reactions or
medicine problems while being mindful of health professionals or reporters time.
Suspected adverse drug reaction includes any undesirable medical occurrence that develops after
the administration of medicine.
Serious adverse drug reactions are life threatening, initial or prolonged hospitalization, can result
incapacitation or death.
 Medication reconciliation

Medication reconciliation is the process of comparing a patient’s medication orders to all the
medications that the patients has been taking, including over-the-counter and the supplements.
This is done to avoid medication errors such as omissions, duplications, dosing errors or drug
interaction to patients on polypharmacy.
The pharmacist’s role is to coordinate the medication reconciliation process. The pharmacists
take primary responsibility for ensuring proper communication of medication information to
patients, family and other healthcare providers on admission,

transfer and discharge.

Patient counseling

This involves giving advice to patients on how to use their prescribed medications, often used as an
informal method of checking on how patients are coping with their medication.
Early identification of problems such as timing of medication, side effects or problems with physical
manipulation of packaging can be addressed promptly with minimum disruption to the patients life.
Through counseling pharmacists help patients to better understand their conditions and treatments
which leads to improved health outcomes.
Health promotion and education

Health promotion is a process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their
health while health education is the is the giving of information and working towards improving
individual attitude and behavior changes to sustain healthy living.
Pharmacists provide information and skills to individuals so that they can prevent specific
diseases and participate in services for early detection and treatment of diseases.
Pharmacists concentrates on themes of health promotions like sexual health, cardiovascular
diseases risk factors and prevention, smoking cessation Programmes and diet, exercise and body
weight. This promotes and support of healthy life styles
Other roles of pharmacists

• Disposal of unwanted medicine following the right procedures.

• Pharmacists also were called on to support the better prescribing ,in the appropriate use of
antibiotics.
• Providing professional leadership like in Regulatory Compliance bodies like NDA to monitor for
the misuse of drugs and maintaining ethical standards.
• Pharmacists are administering immunization such as Covid-19.
• Research and development for example Pharmacists involves in clinical trials, research in drug
formulation and development of treatment guidelines and the best practices in drug therapy.