Pharmacist:: Just Filling Prescriptions or Should They Also Diagnose?

    There may be some confusion about the full role of the professional pharmacist in medical care. The patient, withprescription from a physician in hand may consider the diagnostic phase completed and comes to the pharmacist forthe prescribed medication to take for their physician identifiedillness.  On the other hand, pharmacists after their studies andlicensing may feel that they represent another link in the role of illness  diagnosis. But, are they? Some feel that they do and"Although debate about pharmacists ’ diagnostic role has existed for some time both within the pharmacy profession and between professions (mainly medicine and pharmacy), there is considerable evidence, especially from community practice, that pharmacists commonly engage in diagnosis. "But, "Changes to modernize traditional medical education and care delivery are, in fact, currently being introduced, with interdisciplinary health professional teams emerging as a core element of new models. Before graduates of different health programs are assigned practice responsibilities, however, many questions still need to be answered: What are the core functions and responsibilities of practitioners in each profession? What is the minimum education and training needed for someone to attain the core competencies required to perform these functions well and safely? Where do the different professions intersect and where could the public benefit from services offered by more th...
Source: Bioethics Discussion Blog - Category: Medical Ethics Source Type: blogs