Understanding pharmacy practice in the UK and beyond

The first edition of this book was published in 2001 and much has changed in the practice of pharmacy since then. This second edition provides background to some of the issues which are pertinent to contemporary pharmacy practice from a social and behavioural perspective. It considers, for example, how pharmaceutical services may best be delivered to meet an individual’s specific health needs. Clinical pharmacy, therapeutics and aspects of pharmacy law are specifically excluded.

The book is divided into five sections: the development and practice of pharmacy; health, illness, well-being and medicines use; professional practice; measuring and costing medicines use; and undertaking pharmacy practice and health services research. Each section is further subdivided into chapters, written by UK and international authors who are experts in their respective fields. The section covering pharmacy practice contains chapters on hospital pharmacy in the UK, community pharmacy in Europe, and pharmacy in North America, Australia, New Zealand and developing countries. 

Unfortunately, it is not possible for readers to be able to compare and contrast the practice of hospital pharmacy across these continents because there are large gaps in the information presented. However, the section does demonstrate how the occupational status of the pharmacist is inextricably linked to wider socio-economic forces and national and international health policies.

Pharmacy workforce issues, professionalism, the pharmacists’ duty of care, ethics, the occupational status of pharmacy and the place of the pharmacist in multidisciplinary teams are all well covered in the section on professional practice.

Those with an interest in practice research will find the section on undertaking pharmacy practice and health services research of great value. It covers survey methods, interviews, focus groups, analysing qualitative data, measuring health and illness, evaluating pharmacy services and the principles of statistical analysis.

This book will be useful to pharmacy students, offering an introduction to some of the important issues for providing an effective contemporary pharmacy service. It highlights the contexts in which pharmacy is practised and identifies the real potential for pharmacists to make significant impacts on improving the healthcare in their communities.