The Role of Community Pharmacists in Appropriate and Consistent Use of Health Care Resources

Abstract

The collaboration between community pharmacists and physicians is required to address the separation of medical and dispensary practices. In 2014, we launched the Study Group for Pharmacist-physician Collaboration on Pharmacotherapy to study about the collaboration between community pharmacists and physicians. We have conducted collaborative studies entitled “An assessment tool for the intervention by community pharmacists to treat lower urinary tract symptoms”, “Intervention by a care team for defecation control in home care”, “Point-of-care testing for proper use of warfarin in physician-pharmacist cooperative practice”, and “The development of a novel careening method using FRAX and its application for a multidisciplinary approach in osteoporosis”. We have not yet established enough evidence in a short period, but we have tried to disseminate the results of the activities. The current problem is that the research results are not continuously adapted in pharmacists’ daily practices. Pharmacists have to provide appropriate pharmaceutical care and appropriate medical information to local residents. The future directions for community pharmacy to provide adequate and ongoing medical information and the pharmacy education in universities will be discussed.