The Hague, 28 September 2022 — Support for pharmacists to provide services to people with chronic respiratory diseases — namely asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease — is available in the form of two new resources published by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) today. These are:
The handbook, authored by an international group of experts (including representatives from the International Primary Care Respiratory Group and the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy) brought together by FIP, includes chapters on prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases, screening, interprofessional working, non-pharmacological management, pharmacological management (including medicines optimisation), and palliative care. The new publication also presents metrics for services for chronic respiratory diseases, and barriers to the implementation of these services, and explores both the ethical considerations in disease management and the practice-based research related to this area. The reference guide accompanying the handbook defines the knowledge and skills that pharmacists need to acquire to provide services for chronic respiratory diseases.
“Chronic respiratory diseases impose significant health and economic burdens on individuals, healthcare systems and society overall. As healthcare delivery undergoes a paradigm shift towards a people-centred care approach to optimising therapy and health outcomes, pharmacists are well-positioned to play a unique and complementary role in an interprofessional collaborative care model to manage chronic respiratory diseases,” said Mr Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation and editor of the handbook.
In a foreword to the handbook, Ms Siân Williams and Prof. Ee Ming Khoo, CEO and president, respectively, of the International Primary Care Respiratory Group, write: “In many countries, particularly in low- and middle-income countries, the only interaction the public has with health care is with their pharmacist, and this may include life-saving interventions such as management of acute attacks of chronic respiratory disease and treating tobacco dependence. So it is in everyone’s interest that this interaction is of high quality. . . . We urge pharmacists to consider how they can improve their community’s respiratory health, and enhance their engagement, so that we can all live in a world where everyone is breathing and feeling well through universal access to the right care.”
FIP’s commitment to leveraging pharmacists to build confidence and address vaccine hesitancy has been endorsed by 20 organisations, the federation announced today. These organisations are: the Active Citizenship Network (Cittadinanzattiva), the Association of Pharmacists from Portuguese-Speaking Countries (AFPLP), the International Conference of French-Speaking Orders of Pharmacists (CIOPF), the Commonwealth Pharmacists Association, the European Interdisciplinary Council on Ageing, the European Society of Clinical Pharmacy, Immunize.org, the Influenza Diabetes Community/European Scientific Working Group on Influenza, the International Diabetes Federation, the International Federation of Gynaecology and Obstetrics, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations, the International Federation on Ageing, the International Longevity Centre, the International Primary Care Respiratory Group, the International Society of Oncology Pharmacy Practitioners, the Meningitis Research Foundation/Confederation of Meningitis Organisations, Shot@Life (UN Foundation), Vaccines Today, the World Dental Federation (FDI) and the World Federation of Public Health Associations. Vaccine hesitancy is a major threat to global health and an important barrier to the success of vaccination strategies worldwide. Barriers such as misinformation and distrust in vaccines can compromise not only the health of individuals but also public health as a whole. “We thank this wide range of stakeholders for their public confidence in the value of pharmacists and in the role of FIP in advocating the widespread utilisation of pharmacists on this important issue,” said Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation. The commitment was made earlier this year:
Here are our Question and Challenge cards for Pharmacists. One of the key card used by pharmacists is
Positive message: Does this work?
“This (SABA inhaler) should last you 6 months; come back if you still have symptoms or if you run out before the six months because that indicates that something is wrong and your asthma may not be fully controlled”
