Pharmaceutical Services and Health Promotion

Question: Discuss about the Pharmaceutical Services and Health Promotion. Answer: Introduction: Health- promotion that involves supporting the individuals to impose control over as well as to improve their health is vital in todays world. The 1st health conference, Ottawa Charter for health promotion has clarified the fundamental concepts and aspects in regard to health- promotion, which is the responsibility of various sectors (including pharmacology scientists) that goes beyond health with necessity to progress beyond the healthy life- style especially to achieve a global well- being (Catford, 2011). In regard to pharmaceutical context, after Ottawa charter conference, various international practices, procedures and policies and pharmacological researches has started taking health- promotion as one among the objectives of pharmacists as well as pharmacists' practice. It is clear that the pharmaceutical field has tended to come close to health- care with public- health from 1980s by relating pharmacists and pharmacology scientists to provide medications and to educate about ri sk reduction and lifestyle changes. This essay discusses about the areas of OC and its relevance to pharmacology scientists. The first area of OC is building healthy- public policies that involves taking coordinated action to address health equity and assuring safer as well as healthier goods with services along with healthy-public services (Nakamura, 2014). It means that all the goods including medicines should be well researched so as to provide safe, effective and harmless medications to people that ensures the provision of healthier services to people in an enjoyable environment. Moreover, this areas of action is indented to include health in its agenda by the policy- makers in all sectors with all levels and directing them to understand the health consequences and accept their responsibilities. Hence, this area is highly relevant for our profession. The second area of creating supportive environments involves promoting health to enhance safe, stimulating, well satisfactory with enjoying life and working environment. It is not relevant to pharmacology scientists profession as this area deals with the actions of only pharmacist who takes the last position in the patients' contact chain after being diagnosed by health-care personnel to make decisions about pharmacological therapy (Kellow, 2011) or sometimes being the sole contact for drugs that may not require a medical- prescription or may be for changes in life-style as to quit smoke, stop alcohol abuse, etc (Aquilino, 2003). This area doesnt deal with the role of pharmacology scientists. The next area of strengthening community actions involves educating and counseling the people about the drugs dosage, adverse effects with drug interactions and about changes in life-style as nutritional counseling, physical therapy and quitting smoking (Lenz, 2011). This area is not relevant to my profession as it deals with only education and counseling aspects. As per next area, professionals should develop personal skills to promote health in community. Similarly, pharmacology scientists should conduct research and develop their personal skills to promote communitys health. They identify and select the persons with risk- factors for disease that are targeted in national health-care programs (cardio-vascular diseases) and analyze the effect of medication therapy that is required to prevent, treat or control the disease by their researches. Hence, this area is highly relevant to my profession. The next area of re-orienting to health services that involves re-organizing the pharmaci es by conducting researches and to modify goods and services based on current needs is practiced by pharmacology scientist. Hence, this area is relevant to my profession. Hence, among five areas of Ottawa Charter, three areas are relevant to pharmacology- scientists profession. Reference Aquilino, M.L. (2003). Smoking-cessation services in Iowa community pharmacies: Pharmacotherapy. 23(5): 666-673. Catford, J. (2011). Ottawa 1986: back to the future: Health Promot. Int. 26(2): ii163-ii167. Kellow, N. (2011). Evaluation of a rural community pharmacy-based Waist Management Project: bringing the program to the people: Aust. J. Prim. Health. 17(1):16-22. Lenz, D. (2011). Evaluation of the use of topic nasal decongestants in university students from health sciences courses: Braz. J. Pharm. Sci. 47(4): 761-767. Nakamura, C.A. (2014). Pharmaceutical services and health promotion: how far have we gone and how are we faring? Scientific output in pharmaceutical studies: Brazilian Journal of Pharmaceutical Sciences. 50(4). Retrieved from https://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttextpid=S1984-82502014000400773