It’s a fact that traditional pharmacy practice is primarily focusing on medication distribution and dispensing. Pharmaceutical care, however, is a more contemporary and holistic approach that centers on patient outcomes and encompasses a greater range of responsibilities. For that, Estela Arco will discuss the distinctions between pharmaceutical care and traditional pharmacy.
Traditional Pharmacy: A Brief Overview
The traditional pharmacy practice is parochially associated with dispensing medications according to the doctor’s prescription. Such practices are fundamentally focused on the medicines and not specifically on the patients receiving them. In the traditional setup, pharmacists’ main tasks include filling prescriptions, handling the medication inventory, and answering basic patient queries.
Pharmaceutical Care: A Broader Perspective
Pharmaceutical care offers a more comprehensive approach to patient health. Instead of concentrating solely on medicines, it zeroes in on optimal patient outcomes. It also integrates an array of tasks such as monitoring medication usage, managing therapy plans, and counseling patients.
This medication practice places the patient at the core of the pharmacists’ responsibilities. It also entrusts them with an instrumental role in achieving the most beneficial health outcomes for their patients.
The Key Differences Between Pharmaceutical Care and Traditional Pharmacy
The most significant difference between the two medication fields lies in their focus. Traditional pharmacy is primarily medicine-centered, focusing on dispensing the correct medications. On the other hand, pharmaceutical care adopts a patient-centered approach, focusing on the patient’s overall well-being and health outcomes.
Other than that, traditional pharmacy typically assumes a reactive role, responding to physicians’ prescriptions and dealing with patients’ queries regarding medications. Pharmaceutical care, however, espouses a more proactive stance, assessing patient conditions, monitoring the effectiveness of prescribed treatments, and collaborating with health providers to ensure optimal patient care.
And lastly, traditional pharmacy does typically maintain a strictly transactional relationship with its patients. Estela Arco Pharmaceutical care, on the other hand, encourages a closer, more personal relationship with patients, placing the pharmacist into the needed role of a health advisor and a vital link in the healthcare chain.
