'Ask your pharmacist' – but ask them what exactly?

Analysis: Here are some of the ways you can use pharmacists and their teams to support your healthcare

The phrase "ask your pharmacist," is as familiar to most Irish people as the phrase "Talk to Joe!" We know Joe to be the nation's agony uncle, broadcasting across the national airwaves. But "ask your pharmacist" what exactly? What do they know, and how can they help you? Here are some of the many ways you can lean on pharmacists and their teams to support your care.

First port of call

Pharmacists have once again been voted the most trusted profession in the recent Ipsos Veracity Index 2023. This is reflected in the numbers that visit community pharmacies annually; more than half of the population (58%) are frequent visitors to a pharmacy, attending more than once a month.

Community pharmacy accessibility is rarely restricted to the typical working day, as they open beyond the usual nine to five. Furthermore, appointments are not needed for most pharmacy services, and there’s a consultation room waiting in every pharmacy to welcome you in for a confidential conversation, should you require one.

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From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, pharmacists to be given power to extend prescriptions

For these reasons, when one is unsure about what to do or where to go with regards to their physical or mental health, it’s often a pharmacy they find themselves in. First steps in treatment can be provided, or helpful signposting can be offered. Pharmacists get to know their patients very well, and a strong therapeutic relationship is often formed over time.

Medicine experts

Pharmacists can sometimes unfortunately be perceived as being no more than glorified tablet counters. And yes, of course, we do count medicines - nobody wants to go home with not enough tablets in their bag. But what the person waiting for their prescription may not always appreciate is that the dispensing process is far more than counting tablets; it’s a comprehensive clinical review of their treatment.

Pharmacists train for five years to become experts in pharmacology, physiology, professional practice, pharmaceutics, pharmacoeconomics and everything in between. It’s a unique skillset, which is vital for the safe and effective provision of medicines, and pharmacists also play important roles in regulatory and industrial settings.

From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne, could pharmacists prescribing medication be the answer to pressures on the GP system? With GP Dr Diarmuid Quinlan and pharmacist Sheena Mitchell

Prior to counting your tablets, the pharmacist has already clinically assessed the prescription to ensure that they’re providing you with an appropriate medication, at a suitable dose, in an acceptable form. They’re deciding whether it’s safe to combine medications for one or more illnesses, they’re considering the likelihood of any adverse drug reactions, and they’re preparing to advise you on the best way to use, store and dispose of your medicines, taking things like kidney and liver function, age and weight into account. Similar considerations are required for the provision of non-prescription medications also.

So, if you have any medication-related questions, concerning prescription or over-the-counter medicines, then "ask your pharmacist."

Last line of defence

In the community setting, the pharmacist is often the person with final oversight of your treatment, and is responsible for flagging any safety concerns or clinical issues with the prescriber. In the hospital setting, pharmacists are active members of a multi-disciplinary team, often informing appropriate treatment decisions in real time.

From RTÉ Radio 1's Today with Claire Byrne in 2023, pharmacist Niamh Boden on shortages of medicines in Ireland

Across primary and secondary care, important interventions are made daily by pharmacists in collaboration with healthcare colleagues to ensure the safe use of medicines. They also report any adverse drug effects to the Health Products Regulatory Authority, to update drug companies on what should be reported about their products.

Health education

Pharmacists have a wealth of knowledge, not only about medicines specifically, but medical conditions more generally, including appropriate lifestyle measures. They’re particularly skilled at educating patients and empowering them in the management of their health, offering information with each prescription dispensed or product supplied. Many are also trained in the best ways to support those with health literacy challenges, and some pharmacies have been awarded the National Adult Literacy Agency (NALA) Crystal Clear mark to reflect this.

The Know Check Ask campaign encourages patients to (i) know what medicines they’re taking, (ii) check that they’re taking them correctly, and (ii) ask if they’re unsure about any aspect of their treatment. Pharmacists play a key role in this campaign, the purpose of which is to reduce harm from drugs. Pharmacists can compile a complete list of your medicines, then sit down with you to go through them all in detail.

In the future we hope for pharmacists to be prescribing medications, as they do internationally, reducing the need to attend the doctor and its costs

Firefighters (of the metaphorical kind)

When medications go short, or pandemics hit, pharmacists have proven to be instrumental in overcoming such challenges, and generally stepping up to fight whatever "fire" is raging. Medicines are liable to go into "short supply," due to production challenges, or issues around supply versus demand. For example, some types of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) are particularly difficult to obtain currently. Pharmacists source alternative products as quickly and as cost-effectively as possible, and communicate any changes to the patient, putting their minds at ease and minimising disruption to their care.

When Covid vaccination was needed to save lives, pharmacists contributed huge numbers to the roll-out of vaccination programmes within incredibly tight timelines. As Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly recently noted, pharmacists were "magnificent" during the pandemic, and were pivotal in the safeguarding of our most vulnerable, through their work in both community and hospital settings. This built upon their existing track record of successful health service provision such as flu vaccination, blood pressure and cholesterol checks, and smoking cessation support.

The future of the Irish pharmacy

It’s an exciting time for the pharmacy profession and Irish healthcare, with the recent establishment of an Expert Taskforce to inform the expansion of the role of the pharmacist. Thanks to their first recommendation, legislative changes enacted this month will enable pharmacists to extend the duration of six-month prescriptions written after March 1st 2024 to twelve months in appropriate circumstances.

READ: Why doctors and nurses should use more plain language and less jargon

Closer examination of the pharmacist’s role in community, hospital and GP practice settings is set to follow, with a view to reducing the pressure on the healthcare system, providing accessible and affordable care to patients. In the not-too-distant future we hope for pharmacists to be prescribing medications, as they do internationally, reducing the need to attend the doctor and its associated costs. This is a testament to their skills and expertise - so much more than tablet counters!

If you’d like to learn more about the new legislation and what it could mean for your care, then "ask your pharmacist." Chances are Joe will probably be talking about it too.

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The views expressed here are those of the author and do not represent or reflect the views of RTÉ