| 2.16.1 |
Residential and nursing homes |
Pharmacists are in a unique position to provide pharmaceutical care to residential and nursing homes. Where pharmaceutical care is provided in residential and nursing homes, the following standards are applicable:
| (a) |
The pharmacist must visit the patient as regularly as required to provide optimum pharmaceutical care. |
| (b) |
Whenever possible, the visits must be made at the same time as the prescriber and the preserver's approval must be obtained for any recommendations for change of therapy. |
| (c) |
Medication review visits must always be made by appointment. |
| (d) |
Medicines must be provided with all necessary supplementary information. |
| (e) |
Medicine policies regarding the administration of the medicine, storage of the medicine and medicine disposal must be reviewed on a regular basis. |
| (g) |
The pharmacist must carry a form of identification. |
| (h) |
A comprehensive record must be kept of every visit and of every patient to ensure resident safety, compliance and evaluation of the service. |
Pharmacists should advise patients to stop smoking and give patients information regarding pharmaceutical products that can assist them with this process. The following standards are applicable where a pharmacist is participating in anti-smoking campaigns:
The following standards must be followed where a pharmacist is participating in anti-smoking campaigns:
| (a) |
The pharmacy must have written information on how to stop/reduce smoking. |
| (b) |
The pharmacist involved in assisting patients in smoking cessation must have an up-to-date knowledge base on the optimum ways of stopping smoking and should be able to advise on the products available to assist the patient in giving up smoking. |
| (c) |
All anti-smoking products must be sold with an invitation to come back and report progress. |
| (d) |
Supporting information must be readily available. |
| (e) |
Counselling sessions to stop smoking must be available from the pharmacist by appointment or a suitable system must exist for referral. |
| (f) |
Smoking must not be permitted in the pharmacy. |
Pharmacists are in a position to provide patients with up-to-date information regarding healthy nutrition and lifestyles. Where a pharmacist is providing nutrition advice, the following standards must be followed:
Where a pharmacist is providing nutrition advice, the following standards must be followed:
| (a) |
Pharmacists must provide advice regarding vitamin and mineral supplementation for patients with nutritional deficiencies. |
| (b) |
Where applicable, pharmacists must explain to patients the benefits of high fibre diets. |
| (c) |
Pharmacists must be informed on the signs and symptoms of anorexia. |
| (d) |
Pharmacists must be informed on nutrition advice to be given during pregnancy, e.g. the supplementary folic acid intake. |
| (e) |
Requests for weight reduction advice and products must be met in a structured manner. |
| (f) |
A policy must exist to ensure that weight reduction advice is not given to those who do not require it. |
| (g) |
A weight reduction guide must be available in the pharmacy and be provided to appropriate patients. |
| (h) |
Those who need to lose weight must be given advice on healthy eating and exercise. |
| (i) |
Slimming mixtures and unhealthy slimming medicines/techniques must not be promoted in the pharmacy. |
| (j) |
The following patients should not be advised to go on very low calorie diets: |
| (i) |
patients who are underweight; |
| (ii) |
patients who are pregnant; |
| (iii) |
diabetic patients; and |
| (k) |
Specialist groups for whom nutritional advice is of particular importance can be identified and counselled appropriately. Examples of such patient groups are: |
| (i) |
patients with diabetes; |
| (ii) |
hypertensive patients; |
| (iii) |
patients requiring lipid advice; |
| (vi) |
terminally ill patients; and |
(vii) pregnant women.
| (l) |
All symptoms that show prolonged change of bowel habit in customers over 50 years must be referred to a medical practitioner. |
| 2.16.4 |
Baby and child health |
Where a pharmacist is providing baby and child health services, the following standards are applicable:
| (a) |
Pharmacists and pharmacy support personnel must be informed regarding childhood problems and on the importance of early referral. |
| (b) |
All symptoms in young babies under one year must be referred to the pharmacist for advice. |
| (c) |
The pharmacist must keep up to-date regarding the latest guidelines on child safety. |
| (d) |
The pharmacist must know the symptoms of common childhood illnesses. |
| (e) |
The pharmacist must provide advice regarding sugar intake and dental care. |
| (f) |
All parasitic worm preparations must be sold with advice on hygiene and treating all family members. |
| (g) |
Pharmacists must know the principles of vitamin supplementation for infants. |
| (h) |
Pharmacists must actively promote immunisation programmes. |
| (i) |
Pharmacists must provide patient information and advice on the benefits of breastfeeding and alternative milk products in line with WHO guidelines for substitute milk products and policies of the DOH: |
| (i) |
The pharmacy should stock a range of accessories and equipment to facilitate breastfeeding. |
| (ii) |
The pharmacist and pharmacy support personnel must actively encourage mothers to continue breastfeeding when appropriate. |
| (iii) |
The pharmacist must refer mothers experiencing difficulty with breastfeeding for specialist professional help. |
| (iv) |
The pharmacist must give advice on the use of medicines in association with breastfeeding. |
| (v) |
Pharmacy support personnel must know the range of formula milk and its relative advantages and mixing and storage procedures. |
Basic Conditions of Employment Act, 1997
