PARIS, 18 oct. (EUROPA PRESSE) –
90% of Spaniards believe that pharmacies should be more integrated into primary care services and 80% demand more care services from pharmacies, according to the study entitled “The role of pharmacy in the future”, carried out by the GAD3 consulting firm for the General Council of Pharmacists.
“With this work, we wanted to know what citizens demand from pharmacists and how they appreciate our actions, especially during a pandemic, and the results have been very positive,” commented the president of the General Council of Pharmacists’ Associations, Jesus Aguilar.
Indeed, 88% positively assess the collaboration of pharmacists during the coronavirus pandemic and 75% consider that they have been a “key” health worker in the detection of Covid-19.
As for the services offered in pharmacies, 85% of the Spaniards questioned (regarding 2,200) judge “positively” or “very positively” that they are more provided, with examples such as participation in vaccination programs, with 76% d “positive” or “very positive” opinions, or the fact that pharmacists are becoming a reference in terms of public health, with 71%.
Similarly, according to GAD3 President Narciso Michavila, 75% of pharmacists are in favor of pharmacists providing primary care services in congested areas, taking advantage of the proximity and accessibility of these health facilities, that 80% say they have visited at least once in the last 30 days.
In town, the nearest pharmacy is three minutes from home, and the number of pharmacies within a five-minute radius is two or more. “There are few services for which there is so much attendance on the part of citizens of all ages, and if we only analyze chronic or polymedicated patients, 10% of them go to the pharmacy every week and 93% every month,” Michavila explained.
74% ASK FOR COLLABORATIVE DISPENSATION OF HOSPITAL MEDICINES
On the other hand, the collaborative dispensing of hospital drugs in community pharmacies is called for by 74% of the percentages, as well as the development of personalized dosing systems in chronic and polymedicated elderly people, since they are “fundamental” for the control of treatment compliance and monitoring.
In this sense, 90% of those questioned declare that the dispensing of a medicine is the main reason for which they have visited a pharmacy and 38% recognize that they go to these establishments in the first place when they are confronted with to a health problem.
The study also showed that 80% of Spaniards believe that pharmacists can help provide health services to the rural population. In rural areas, due to the lack of clinics or hospitals in small towns, pharmacists are sometimes the closest point to health and social services.
For their part, eight out of ten people consider the participation of pharmacies in programs and social actions “positive” or “very positive”. Finally, 78% of participants request measurement services and advice on clinical parameters (weight, glucose, cholesterol or blood pressure, among others).
“These data show that the pharmaceutical profession must play a fundamental role here and now and, once once more, pharmacy wants to be part of a constructive and enriching debate and, to this end, we will continue to offer all our capacity to respond and of care. We have the knowledge, the training, the experience and the will to strengthen the health system on all fronts. We have the public’s trust and consensus that pharmacies can do much more,” concluded Aguilar.
