Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) are lifestyle based diseases and this is what makes it difficult to control them. The main risk factors of NCDs are physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol consumption and eating unhealthy food.2 The epidemiological transition of NDCs is threatening our health. According to WHO, 70% of all global deaths in 2015 were due to NCDs of which 75% were from middle and lower income countries. High number of these deaths are due to cardiovascular diseases, cancers, chronic lung diseases and diabetes.1 From the 2013 report of Health Management Information Systems of Rwanda, NCDs accounted for more than 51.86% of all District Hospital outpatients’ consultation and 22.3% of District Hospital hospitalization. This essay will display the pharmacist’s role in raising awareness and combating this challenge. It will show the role played by pharmacists in combating NCDs and suggests innovative methods for efficient implementation. From the WHO report, high number of people who died due to NCDs were aged between 30 and 70 and they were living in sub-Saharan Africa, Eastern Europe and in some parts of Asia. This figure showcases that the burden of NCDs is highly in middle and lower income countries. For the purpose of this tiny essay, I will be focusing on Sub-Saharan countries and more specifically on Rwanda.
The existing protocol of continuing registration procedure done by community pharmacists sets them apart among other health practitioners as the ones who can provide informed and up to date advice to the patients. That is to say they get a vicarious knowledge from reading and searching updated health related information. To that end, a pharmacist is in a good position to control the rapid rise of NCDs. Another key thing to remember, is that pharmacists not only provide advice about the patient’s diet including salt intake, exercise, or stress management but also specialized services to help patients manage chronic conditions –NCDs-such as diabetes, asthma, smoking cessation, or high blood pressure. Moreover, we should also consider that community and clinical pharmacists are among health care professionals most accessible to the patients.3 That is to say pharmacists can actively participate in counselling patients, providing information regarding their health status and most importantly inform them about preventive measures. In addition, clinical pharmacist has access to medical records which allow them to monitor the incidence of NCDs in region and therefore take measures to combat it. By participating in decision making and setting strategies, a pharmacist contribute in health promotion programs like Kigali monthly car free day which combines physicals exercises and free screening of NCDs. At the same time, pharmacies-mainly those in areas with high NCDs prevalence like towns-should have NCDs brochures and provide them to their customers –patients- to help them being informed on the burden of NCDs. It can be seen from the above analysis that surveillance and research based data are of great importance to develop strategies and monitor their success.4 European countries have developed a strong collaborative surveillance system which help them know the root cause of NCDs and therefore invest in relevant and alarming areas.5 Building strong networks and alliances for surveillance is a continuous process. To that end, in low and middle income countries where resources are limited, community and clinical pharmacists can help in carrying out surveys on knowledge of people about NCDs and identify the gaps which can be focused on during campaigns of raising awareness. Sometimes people are reluctant to give information when are not needing help from health professionals. However, pharmacist will also gather this information in pharmacies by structuring surveys questionnaires which can be completed by the time patients come to take medicines. In order to keep those information, a software should be developed and be used in every pharmacy to enter and coordinate that information to be linked with others from across the country. In this way, less costly yet evidence based information is collected. Another significant way pharmacist will greatly contribute to raising awareness on NCDs in the community is by providing domiciliary services.3 In different countries, pharmacists provide advice and other healthcare services in homes for people with NCDs. Though there is a challenge of few pharmacists in low and middle income countries, this kind of services can be provided whereby pharmacists in a given district may take one month in year reserved for domiciliary services. In order to ensure the maximum participation and attendance of population, this activity should be announced beforehand and use weekends where people are in their homes. Evidently, it will provide information regarding the challenges faced by the people living with NCDs and make people be open to provide all information about their attitudes toward NCDs risk factors. In short, a pharmacist has an invaluable role in raising awareness about NCDs. Similarly, a pharmacist is of paramount importance in counselling people living with NCDS and help them manage- detecting, screening and treating- these diseases. A pharmacist is an educated person, s/he does the job with skills which helps them in contributing and providing new ways of fighting NCDs. Furthermore, they serve not only as the intermediate people between medical doctors and patients but also with the community at large. The key in preventive measures against NCDs is basing on tangible information through strong surveillance system. This kind of information seem to be expensive and is difficult to obtain in developing countries. However, with the help of pharmacist who is in close contact with the community this kind of system can be established. Continuous education through leaflets distribution and domiciliary services, pharmacist will be able to overcome this global challenge of epidemiological transition of NCDs. References: 1. 2a1142f8870a7bee2bedaaf8edc05367c7b270cb @ www.who.int. http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/mortality_morbidity/ncd_total_text/en/. 2. Health MOF. Non COMMUNICABLE DISEASES Policy. 2015;(March). 3. h2995e.pdf. 4. Prevalence of Co-morbidities in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Patients , the Awareness Level and the Impact of Pharmacist ’ s Patient E ducation Program. 2015;4(May):11-20. 5. Prevention and control of noncommunicable diseases in the European Region: a progress report.
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A pharmacist is a member of health care team involved with patient care. Pharmacists know drugs uses, their actions and their interactions. They also know drugs’ mechanisms of actions and their side effects on the body. Pharmacists’ roles in society are different basing on their areas specialization. Even though people use to think pharmacists’ role to be limited on drugs distribution, a pharmacist has indispensible roles which cannot be played by anyone else except themselves. Community’s paradigm regarding pharmacists should be shifted. With an intention of clarifying some of their roles, this essay has mainly focused on pharmacists in industries, community and clinical pharmacies. Generally, clinical pharmacists provide patient care that optimizes the use of medication and promotes health, wellness, and disease prevention. For this manner clinical pharmacists work in collaboration with physicians, nurses and other healthcare professionals in the health care system. As responsibilities of clinical pharmacists, they are primary source of scientifically valid information and advice regarding the safe, appropriate, cost effective use of medications. They are responsible for providing expertise on the use of medicines to national organizations and develop medicines guidelines for use in therapeutic areas. Also they use their knowledge of medications including dosage, expense, and effectiveness to determine if a medication plan is appropriate for their patients. Usually basic components of clinical pharmacy practice include prescribing drugs, administering drugs, monitoring prescriptions, managing drug use, and counseling patients. On the other hand, community pharmacists are the professional pharmacists with more accessibility to the public. They take care of patient or clinical pharmacy by collecting and integrating information about the patient’s drug history, clarify the patient’s understanding of dosage and advises the patient about drug related precaution. Not only that but also community pharmacists can take a part in health promotion campaigns, locally and nationally on wide range of health-related topic such as HIV-infection/AIDS, diarrhea disease tuberculosis and particularly on drug-related topic like alcohol abuse, tobacco abuse. Moreover, Industrial pharmacists are among other different pharmacists who use latest methods, technologies and processes to develop new and groundbreaking medications. Those pharmacists are found in industrial pharmacy which is an area of the pharmaceutical field that is specialized in creating drugs and medications. Industrial pharmacists, determine standard of medications by determining if medications developed by pharmaceutical companies have both right and correct amount of ingredients. They make different researches to discover new drugs when microorganisms (such as bacteria, fungi, viruses, and parasites) evolves and resists to the effects of previously used medication (such as antibiotics, antifungal, antiviral, antimalarial, and anthelmintic) known as antimicrobial resistance. They make real difference in the lives of people who use medications to treat illness and test efficiency and safeties of medications. In summing up, Pharmacists should be respected for the great work they contribute in the society. They promote health, ensure wellbeing of people inform and them about drugs’ mode of actions and side effects anticipated. In addition, pharmacist are the ones who deals with drug manufacturing, ensure their quality standards and monitor antimicrobial resistance. ACCOMPLISHED EVENT
AMR (Anti-Microbial Resistance) Campaign in Notre Dame de Providence KARUBANDA: This was an event held in Huye district where we visited secondary school and we shared the knowledge about Anti-Microbial Resistance(AMR) to the students. The event was stupendous we had an interesting one hours to interact with the student and we explained much about the AMR, at the end every student was aware of AMR. Before campaign we had an awesome debate among different teams in that school, the THEME was “The plastic should be banned”. This was an amazing competition where every side of debaters had to defend themselves to convince the audience and the panel. We made two session of the debate; the first one was at the ordinal level between two classes, and the second the last was between two classes of advanced level. The debate was very interesting and it was source of knowledge about side effects of using plastics where they mentioned different indications on using the plastics related to health. At the end the winners were awarded and were given certificates. After event we met the students in the club of EAC which has the debate in responsibility, we had conversation and we explained to them our missions and they presented different daily problems they meet, we agreed the partnership with that club for working together in different ways like mentorship, improving their public speaking and sponsoring them in their tournament. |