What are the key roles and responsibilities of the pharmacist in healthcare?
Pharmacists are professional drug specialists, who play very important roles in healthcare sector. They work in a hospital, clinic or community drug store. Generally, they are responsible in preparing and distribute medicines and to give information about them.
Their advice to doctors and patients on which prescription and over-the-counter drugs, medicines and therapies are significant for treating and improving certain health conditions. They ensure the drug purity and strength and make sure that drugs do not interact in a harmful way. The decision on drug used may affect the patients badly if pharmacist did not play their roles properly.
Furthermore, pharmacists’ responsibilities include a range of care for patients, from dispensing medications to monitoring patient health and progress to maximize their response to the medication. Pharmacists are drug experts ultimately concerned about their patients' health and wellness.
Besides that, pharmacists are engaged in efforts to improve the quality of the drug use process and to identify ways to reduce medication errors. The roles of pharmacists continue to expand as medications become increasingly complex and diverse, and the potential for their misuse continues to grow. Therefore they need to constantly studying and learning about the properties and side effects of new drugs and communicating this information to doctors and patients. Moreover, pharmacists also take part in public health initiatives such as smoking cessation programs.
While responsibilities vary among the different areas of pharmacy practice, their basic role and responsibility is to help the patients to get well.
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