Day to Day Challenges faced by a Pharmacist

Pharmacists are members of one of the oldest medical professions, with records of their work extending back to 16th century B.C. in ancient Egypt. A pharmacist is a bridge between doctors and patients who counsel and advice the patient to maximize the desired effect of the drugs and minimize the adverse effects of the drug. Pharmacy is a multi-disciplinary field and one of the most trusted professions, however, pharmacists face many hurdles and perform their job with numerous challenges.

One of the biggest issues faced by all pharmacists in the world is the work stress. Recent survey results reveal that 61.2% of pharmacists report experiencing a high level of burnout in practice, which is one of the highest rates among healthcare professionals. Most of the Pharmacists are working under pressure with fewer resources which lead them to work with tons of difficulties. In order to reduce work stress Pharmacists are recommended to take a quick walk around the outside of the store to get a change of scenery when stress builds up. Even a little break, can help reset someone’s emotions when they build up during work. All pharmacists should be involve in recreational activities to lower their stress levels. Pharmacists should also perform mediation for stress and load.

The other most common challenge face by all Pharmacists is the lack of training and education. Education is the foundation for the profession and educators need to enhance the skills of pharmacists to meet new demands, including revalidation. We must build on our successes and further train and develop the pharmacists of the future so that we have a clear pathway to attract more pharmacists into patient facing primary care roles.

A most pressing issue is being seen for pharmacists is in the community sector, is the issue of having too many tasks and targets preventing pharmacists undertaking clinical work. Pharmacists should perform task which should be patient centered, this may increase and enhance their clinical knowledge.

The most important factor is to improve the public recognition of pharmacists and their teams, with emphasis now on community pharmacy. They must be supported with safe staffing levels, opportunities to develop their clinical skills further, and have more autonomy over decision making and a chance to become independent prescribers

Pharmacists interact with countless patients, doctors and third-party insurance companies on a daily basis. For such interactions Pharmacists should be trained accordingly, their curriculum must include lessons on effective communication skills, which usually lacks in pharmacy course outline. Pharmacist should also acquire excellent counselling skills in order to make the patients adhere towards their prescription. Good medication adherence of a patient guided by a Pharmacist can leads to positive clinical outcomes.

Retail pharmacists are often faced with addicts on a regular basis, and the problem of dispensing controlled substances to people who are addicted to them is a constant struggle. Pharmacists must determine whether a patient is using them to get their fix or if the prescription has been issued for a legitimate reason.

Furthermore another big issue face by Pharmacists especially working in hospital is Shift work sleep disorder (SWSD). Because many pharmacies are open 24 hours each day, seven days a week, pharmacists may have to take evening, night and holiday shifts. Exhaustion from evening, night or overly long shifts sometimes causes mistakes in dispensing medication that result in lawsuits against pharmacists.

By,

Mr. Nehal Nadir

Pharmacist

Dr. Ziauddin Hospital,

North Campus

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