HEALTHCARE systems could benefit from integrating community pharmacists into primary healthcare (PHC), researchers believe.
A study published in Research in Social and Administrative Pharmacy found that "healthcare systems under resource pressure and with questions of long-term sustainability would clearly benefit by the incorporation of highly accessible community pharmacies through horizontal integration and at the micro level with clinical and service integration".
"In addition, working on the intensity constructs and enablers would allow a more sustainable integration," the authors said.
"Nevertheless, the historical, political, financial, and professionally conflictive contexts would need to be overcome with appropriate policy and incentives."
The authors, including University of Technology Sydney Professor Emeritus, Charlie Benrimoj, noted that "until recently, most governments viewed community pharmacies only as providers of medications".
"In many countries community pharmacists are becoming increasingly patient oriented by providing professional services such as vaccination, medication adherence management, medication management review, minor ailments management or smoking cessation," they said.
"These changes have been mainly driven by governmental policies, with the main objectives being to encourage the population to enter the health care systems at an appropriate level of care and to optimise the rational use of medication, thereby increasing safety, efficacy and efficiency."
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