By Dr Kannan R
In recent years, pharmacy education in India has undergone a quiet yet powerful transformation. Modern education of pharmacists is gradually transforming pharmacy from a discipline aimed at dispensing medicines into a patient-oriented and community-based profession. Over the past years, pharmacy education has changed significantly with regard to the content and scope. Traditionally, pharmacy education was limited to pharmacology, pharmaceutics, and medicinal chemistry. However, today’s curriculum of pharmacy education involves numerous aspects related to public health, clinical skills, communication, and interaction within the community.
From dispensers to healthcare providers
Pharmacy education is becoming a means of training pharmacists who would be involved in patient-oriented practices. The most recent developments in educational programs include training of pharmacists in collaboration with frontline health workers such as ASHAs (Accredited Social Health Activists). Pharmacists learn how to design basic health records, facilitate medicine monitoring, and educate communities about safe use of drugs. Thus, pharmacist intervention contributes to improvement of health outcomes through more careful observation and monitoring of patients’ health status.
The second important aspect related to changes in pharmacy education is the growing involvement of pharmacists in maternal and child health. Pharmacy Students receive comprehensive training in counseling of pregnant women regarding proper nutrition, use of medications during pregnancy, and other relevant topics. Moreover, when dealing with children, pharmacists participate in campaigns aimed at increasing vaccine compliance, preventing adverse events, and educating parents about vaccines.
Expanding frontiers
An important issue addressed in modern pharmacy education is non-adherence to treatments. Non-adherence poses serious challenges to successful treatment of many chronic disorders. To reduce non-adherence rates, Pharmacy education now emphasizes patient counselling, follow-up strategies, and behavioural interventions. Collaborating with community health workers is another strategy used to improve adherence to treatments and promote better health outcomes.
Pharmacy education has also become an instrument for combating various communicable diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, and HIV. Students acquire necessary knowledge on rational use of antibiotics and support health workers in their efforts aimed at fighting the mentioned diseases. Furthermore, they are trained to assist in recognizing adverse effects of drug use to prevent complications and improve patients’ treatment.
Non-communicable diseases (NCDs) have been becoming more frequent in India due to lifestyle factors. To prevent these illnesses and manage them properly, students study the issues associated with prevention through lifestyle modification and treatment of existing disorders. Thus, pharmacists will be able to help patients suffering from chronic NCDs.
In addition to the described areas of pharmacist involvement in the healthcare system, modern pharmacy education has been focusing on vaccination. Indeed, India experiences problems with low rate of vaccination, which can be explained by a lack of vaccinators and vaccine hesitancy among some residents. To facilitate vaccination process and increase immunization coverage, pharmacy students are educated regarding rational vaccine use, adverse effects, cold chain management, and emergency response strategies, including anaphylaxis. Such changes in educational programs are rather innovative and promising.
India has more than a million pharmacists; so many pharmacies can be turned into vaccination centers. Students also learn how to counsel people who are hesitant to get vaccinated in ways that are culturally appropriate and can be understood by people who speak more than one language. These kinds of programs could make a big difference in vaccination rates, even in rural areas.
A new era for pharmacy
Pharmacy students are learning about pharmacovigilance, which involves the scientific study of drug safety. Students learn how to detect, record, and report cases of adverse drug reactions. This aspect is crucial for a country that has many ethnic groups, each having different medication practices.
Public health is another emerging aspect of modern pharmacy education. Pharmacy students engage in campaigns on hygiene and sanitations issues in the community. Moreover, they participate in sensitization regarding proper use of drugs and infection prevention techniques.
However, despite the discussed benefits of pharmacy education in India, this discipline faces several important challenges. First of all, the process of implementing new curricula should be uniform throughout the country. Moreover, infrastructure should be created to allow for more effective training of pharmacists in terms of their clinical skills. Another important aspect is a close collaboration between universities and healthcare institutions.
Thus, modern pharmacy education represents a new stage in the development of pharmacists’ role in the health system. Pharmacy education becomes a means of training versatile professionals equipped with multiple skills related to both clinical work and public health measures.
Dr Kannan R is the HOD, Department of Pharmacy Practice, East Point College of Pharmacy.
DISCLAIMER: The views expressed are solely of the author and ETEDUCATION does not necessarily subscribe to it. ETEDUCATION will not be responsible for any damage caused to any person or organisation directly or indirectly.
