National Medicine Policies Impacting on Pharmacy Practice

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Abstract

The policies concerning and affecting medicines are discussed, debated, and decided on many levels, although the majority of policies which impact pharmacy practice can be found in the national level. The World Health Organization has, for decades, encouraged nations to take responsibility for, to formulate, and to implement comprehensive national medicine policies (NMPs), and this has had an effect. NMPs have a great impact on pharmacy practice, and there are a number of issues and actors at play. This article begins by defining NMP and describing its importance. Developing an NMP is a complex process, and the policies which shape NMPs are influenced by a variety of actors as well as other national policies such as public health policy, health care policy, and industrial policy. Furthermore, the article describes the aims of policymakers who shape NMPs and how these aims are influenced by how they view pharmacies and pharmacists. The views can be conflicting—pharmacies are often seen either as part of commercial business or as part of the health care sector. The article then turns to how NMPs affect the role of pharmacy practitioners in community pharmacies in particular. Important issues affecting community pharmacies are identified and discussed, for example, the sale of prescription medicines, over-the-counter medicines and other goods, and the patient co-payment and insurance programs for medicine costs. This is followed by a look at how NMP affects the extent to which pharmacists are allowed to practice or whether they are remunerated for clinical services. Finally, the article discusses the division of labor between pharmacists and other health care professionals. The boundaries between privileges and duties of all health care professionals are not static and are a direct result of political and economic changes in society as a whole. NMPs deal with the challenges of using the manpower optimally within health care in general as well as in pharmacy practice.

Original languageEnglish
Title of host publicationEncyclopedia of Pharmacy Practice and Clinical Pharmacy : Volumes 1-3
EditorsZaheer Babar, Kath Ryan
Number of pages6
PublisherElsevier
Publication date2019
Pages173-178
ISBN (Print)9780128127353
ISBN (Electronic)9780128127360
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 2019

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© 2019 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Keywords

  • Clinical pharmacy
  • National medicine policies (NMPs)
  • Pharmacoeconomic analyses
  • World Health Organization

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