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2021 March
Population Ageing Propelled Development for the Pharmacists’ Industry

As the Hong Kong population is expected to age continuously, public demand for healthcare and elderly care service is surging. In particular, the role of pharmacists is increasingly important. What are the prospects of the industry? How should aspiring pharmacists equip themselves with the necessary perquisites and skills?
 

 

SC Chiang, Director of Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Care Foundation, pointed out that our elders are facing many problems with handing their medication. “For example, they could have placed medicines that require no refrigeration in the fridge. They are not eager to dispose medicines that are no longer needed, and expired medicines may have been stored with those that are not yet expired. Pharmacists can safeguard elders’ health by teaching them how to use medicines correctly.”

 

Programs for improving elders’ medication

Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Care Foundation (“the Foundation”) is a nonprofit organization established by a group of pharmacists. It has an objective to provide medication service for elders living in residential care homes, and it is also committed to improve the ways that elders use their medications. The “SafeMed Medication Management System” (SMMS) developed by the Foundation, for example, can help residential care homes by more systematically consolidating the medicines of residents from different sources, as well as by improving the efficiency and safety of medication. The system was recognized with the 2018 Hong Kong ICT Silver Award.

 

Chiang candidly remarked that the pandemic has caused widespread anxieties, making people even more worried whenever they need to visit the hospital. As such, the Foundation rolled out the first free medication delivery service during the COVID-19 outbreak, such that stable chronic patients could receive short-term refill of their medicines without leaving home. Furthermore, the Foundation has arranged pharmacists to help evaluate and organize citizens’ medicines stored at home.

 

Patience is key to communicating with elders

The work of a pharmacist is often seen as backend support. Chiang said, “Our service is always about people.” She added that pharmacists take care of patients with their professional knowledge about medicines. With rapid pharmaceutical advancement, prescription errors are unavoidable. As such, it is more important for pharmacists to identify if anything is not right.

 

On top of professional knowledge, compassion and patience are also the requisites for a pharmacist. “Elders tend to repeat the same questions and forget our answers very soon afterwards. Therefore, patience is especially important in our communication with the elderly.” Chiang said that the Foundation has arranged home visits by pharmacists in recent months. During these visits, pharmacists could explain points to note and offer guidance about patients’ medications, as well has help them build a complete record of their medicines. Many young pharmacists said that they like the program very much because they get to really communicate with and help elders.

 

Raising the role of pharmacists in primary healthcare

How difficult is it to become a pharmacist? Chiang pointed out that currently, both the University of Hong Kong and the Chinese University of Hong Kong are offering Bachelor of Pharmacy programs. Graduates must undergo an internship and then pass a qualifying exam before they can practice as registered pharmacists. Pharmacy graduates who have obtained their qualifications outside of Hong Kong must also pass a qualifying exam to become registered pharmacists.

 

Although the society has a stronger demand for pharmacists, the profession is still over supplied at the moment. To improve the situation, Chiang thought that the Government should make good use of pharmacists to alleviate the burden of doctors, so that pharmacists can play their role in community primary healthcare and relieve the workload of the public healthcare system.

 

When the first District Health Centre was set up in Kwai Tsing district in 2019, the role of pharmacists in primary healthcare was once again brought up in discussions. Chiang thought that the public could receive continuous care through primary healthcare services, and pharmacists can teach patients the correct way of using medications, so that patients could understand the efficacy and side effects of medicines. Chiang emphasized that, “The government should put efforts in lifting the role of pharmacists in primary healthcare at the district level.”