Community pharmacies are often the first point of contact for patients and the public with a healthcare professional, for consultations and triage of common ailments and advice on non-prescription medicines. This important role — which leverages the accessibility of community pharmacists and the trust placed upon them by the population — delivers great value not only for patients and consumers, but also for healthcare systems and society as a whole.
Acknowledging the importance of this role, the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) places great emphasis on advocating its adequate recognition but also on providing practising pharmacists with resources to support it and facilitate its implementation in practice. For that reason, FIP organised a programme of digital events in 2021–22 called “Shaping the future of self-care through pharmacy”, which included two series of events focusing on the policy elements and the practice elements of this role. The second series, “Self-care support for community pharmacy teams”, had the following aims:
• To provide relevant information, guidance and updates for pharmacists and the pharmacy workforce on self-care so they can take a person-centred approach;
• To describe sector- or area-specific implications, innovations and approaches adopted across practice;
• To engage front-line workers of the health and pharmacy workforce to know about the self-care realities facing them around the world;
• To discuss the implications of optimising self-care and the role of pharmacy;
• To consider common conditions and how they can be supported through self-care; and
• To assess and discuss the evidence behind treatments used in self-care.
These events covered a range of clinical areas that community pharmacists are commonly consulted about. They included experts with different academic or professional backgrounds, who shared their expertise on how pharmacists can have a direct impact on patients’ well-being through self-care.
