Affiliations 

  • 1 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, 1-1 Keyakidai, Sakado-shi, Saitama 3500295, Japan. Electronic address: yinoue@josai.ac.jp
  • 2 Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Josai University, 1-1 Keyakidai, Sakado-shi, Saitama 3500295, Japan
Res Social Adm Pharm, 2015 May-Jun;11(3):448-58.
PMID: 25443642 DOI: 10.1016/j.sapharm.2014.08.007

Abstract

It is important to share information about other countries' pharmacists to optimize cross-border medical cooperation. This paper examines the dispensing systems and the work done by pharmacists in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Thailand, and Malaysia so as to compare these countries' medical practices and develop a cohesive vision for the future of Japanese pharmacists. All five of the countries have dispensing assistants. Pharmacists in Japan have duties of inventory control, drug dispensing, and providing medication advice. In contrast, assistants working in other countries are responsible for some aspects of dispensing and inventory control, allowing the pharmacists to spend their time and competency in instructing patients on how to take their medication. Because of this, pharmacists were actively involved with health promotion intervention in the United Kingdom, Germany, and France. It is hoped that work done by Japanese pharmacists would transition from primarily dispensing drugs to patient care, advice, and counseling to enrich overall health promotion and health/nutrition counseling.

* Title and MeSH Headings from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine.