Welcome to i2P (Information to Pharmacists) E- Magazine for Monday 20 July 2015.
This week we bring forward the vision for the new paradigm pharmacy that has to come into being to form a stable unit for holding the practice of pharmacy together as a cohesive unit and moving forward into a range of enterprise systems that adapt the core business of pharmacy to be less reliant on dispensing (however, seizing opportunity in specialist compounding dispensing), but provide more balance through paid clinical services and embracing primary health care.
Read: Why Large Pharmacies Must Develop which highlights the movement from a commoditised and more automated dispensing base to be financially balanced with labour intensive clinical services, which will need investment in education and training able to be delivered as close as possible to a community pharmacy, on a permanent basis.
It will also trigger research into practice configurations and practice software to deliver an efficient knowledge based service with high levels of professionalism.
And to house all of this, a single large pharmacy, structured as a multi-level building to be appropriate accommodation.
It is the best vehicle to create mentoring, education and training for staff at all levels and also has the capacity to soak up a large number of newly graduated pharmacists presumably arriving after their university placements i.e. it will have an ability to create a seamless development of pharmacists from student level through to senior level.
With this new paradigm pharmacy must come a revamped attitudinal change for all pharmacy leadership organisations, because community pharmacy numbers will become more static in total numbers, while simultaneously, new smaller service businesses will increase.
For example, will an organisation such as the Pharmacy Guild of Australia adapt to maintain and advocate for all types of pharmacy businesses or will it stick to just the current community pharmacy model.
There is certainly an argument for becoming a single advocate for all business types that have their primary focus on community pharmacy.
And because of the pharmacy change involving building ownership and development, new avenues of finance will need to be developed, particularly as the traditional wholesaler guarantee will become less influential as the supply chain activities will become less a focus as services evolve.
And will all pharmacy leadership organisations promote and fall in behind the Australian Pharmacy Liaison Forum (APLF) to give it the substance of being a single representative body for all of pharmacy, charged with doing the research and developing whole-of-profession policy to enhance pharmacy unity?
That to me seems an essential starting point which we have elaborated on in the article titled The Workforce Summit, Senior Pharmacists, Aged Care & Designing a More Inclusive Succession System which identifies the problems of an ageing population, how pharmacy could unify and adapt successfully to service that market, and yet still be inclusive with the ageing component of senior pharmacists.
All resources need to be considered in the total equation.
Gerald Quigly discusses the change of attitude by Choice – the private consumer group advocate.
Suddenly pharmacists have become the “good guys” through provision of the cheapest drugs in the overall market place.
That’s right – we are now judged top marks through provision of discount drugs rather than by our professionalism, which, in the past, has been strongly criticised by this organisation.
What are the politics behind this change of heart?
And do we really care?
Read Gerald’s article: Choice gives us the tick of approval
A counter balance to the Choice view of pharmacy is provided by Harvey Mackay in his article titled: Our attitude determines our altitude.
Harvey describes how, with a stable attitude you can rise in altitude.
In a sense, become a high flyer without negative connotations.
A more superior way to travel in business and professional life.
Mainstream media has definitely formed up into a less than professional industry.
It’s “cherry picking” of news, distortion of news and selective or non-reporting of news has caused a definite “skew” in the concept of democracy within the western world.
One issue that caught itself out was the reporting of statin drugs by the ABC.
This single program brought out all of the major viewpoints after the event.
Problem is, who do you believe?
We publish one orthodox response in the article: Power of the media’s impact on medicine use revealed.
What is your viewpoint and let us know through the comment panel at the foot of the article.
i2P staff writers have discovered a mobile phone app that may provide benefit for the non intrusive detection of depression.
Because mental health is becoming the major health issue of the moment, and because pharmacy may have the capacity to detect and provide basic treatment or referrals at an early stage of the condition, this mobile phone app may be just the entry point pharmacists may need to establish such a service.
Read: Novel mHealth app detects depression and let us know what you think.
Plus we have PSA media releases at the link: PSA Media Releases – 1. Advanced Pharmacy Practice 2. HMR Landmark Study 3. Sussan Ley to Open PSA15 4. Follow UK Funding Model For Practice Pharmacists.
And we have ASMI media releases at the link: ASMI Media Releases – Diamond Awards.
Also NPS media releases found at this link: NPS Media Releases – 1. Sneezing Billboards 2. Doctor’s Bag App.
More than enough content to keep you busy for a week or so.
Neil Johnston, Editor, Monday 20 July, 2015