The Importance of Pharmacy Education
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure safe, effective use of medicines. It is a multidisciplinary field linking health sciences with pharmaceutical sciences and natural sciences.
Pharmacy has an important role to play in improving patient care and reducing the cost of healthcare. Pharmacists can be found working in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community pharmacies and GP practices. They are also involved in the research and development of new drugs. They can provide advice to patients on a range of topics, from how to store their medication properly to what side effects they may experience. They can also help with chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV.
Although people have been using plants and other natural ingredients as medicines for thousands of years, it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the profession of pharmacy was established as its own distinct discipline. The pharmacist’s role has changed considerably since that time. The scope for the extemporaneous compounding of medicines has diminished, but pharmacists still play an important role in meeting the prescriptions issued by doctors and other healthcare professionals; advising patients on how to take their medicine; filling inpatient and outpatient prescriptions; storing and providing accurate information about medicinal products; ensuring the quality, safety, efficacy, and affordability of medicines; and promoting drug awareness and adherence.
The concept of pharmacy as a knowledge-based profession is an important one. It is widely accepted that it is important for all professionals to keep up to date with scientific developments in their discipline and to be able to apply this knowledge to their work. The implication of this is that pharmacy educators have a responsibility to develop future pharmacists who are capable of engaging in knowledge-based practice.
Pharmacy is an important public service, and a vital part of the healthcare system. As such, it is essential that pharmacists are able to convey their knowledge effectively and efficiently to the public and other healthcare professionals. This is particularly important in an age of increasing complexity and multi-disciplinary working where the transfer of knowledge between fields can be difficult and time-consuming.
Pharmacy is the science and practice of discovering, producing, preparing, dispensing, reviewing and monitoring medications, aiming to ensure safe, effective use of medicines. It is a multidisciplinary field linking health sciences with pharmaceutical sciences and natural sciences. Pharmacy has an important role to play in improving patient care and reducing the cost of healthcare. Pharmacists can be found working in a variety of settings, including hospitals, community pharmacies and GP practices. They are also involved in the research and development of new drugs. They can provide advice to patients on a range of topics, from how to store their medication properly to what side effects they may experience. They can also help with chronic conditions such as hypertension and diabetes, and infectious diseases like tuberculosis and HIV. Although people have been using plants and other natural ingredients as medicines for thousands of years, it was not until the mid-nineteenth century that the profession of pharmacy was established as its own distinct discipline. The pharmacist’s role has changed considerably since that time. The scope for the extemporaneous compounding of medicines has diminished, but pharmacists still play an important role in meeting the prescriptions issued by doctors and other healthcare professionals; advising patients on how to take their medicine; filling inpatient and outpatient prescriptions; storing and providing accurate information about medicinal products; ensuring the quality, safety, efficacy, and affordability of medicines; and promoting drug awareness and adherence. The concept of pharmacy as a knowledge-based profession is an important one. It is widely accepted that it is important for all professionals to keep up to date with scientific developments in their discipline and to be able to apply this knowledge to their work. The implication of this is that pharmacy educators have a responsibility to develop future pharmacists who are capable of engaging in knowledge-based practice. Pharmacy is an important public service, and a vital part of the healthcare system. As such, it is essential that pharmacists are able to convey their knowledge effectively and efficiently to the public and other healthcare professionals. This is particularly important in an age of increasing complexity and multi-disciplinary working where the transfer of knowledge between fields can be difficult and time-consuming.