The Role of the Pharmacist

The role of the pharmacist has evolved since the days when you would pop into a pharmacy to buy cough medicine or get a prescription fulfilled. Now pharmacists can sell dozens of medications with proper advice, including the morning-after pill, thrush medication, and eye drops. Some pharmacists can also carry out health checks.

The History
Pharmacists have been helping to relieve suffering and treat long-term conditions for thousands of years. The Sumerians, now living in modern Iraq, used liquorice, myrrh, mustard and opium to treat ailments. They also acted as priests and wrote the earliest surviving prescriptions from circa 2,700 BC, nearly 5,000 years ago. The Egyptians had Pastophori, whose role was to prepare medicines, infusions, lotions and lozenges. They also acted as priests. Around 2,000 years BC, in China, Shen Nung wrote Pen T'sao, a book giving descriptions of 365 plant-based drugs.

Walk in and see your pharmacist
You don't need an appointment to see a pharmacist and can consult them in confidence – so there's no need to queue at your GP if you need advice about your health. Many pharmacies can offer a private consulting area for this purpose.

Why visit the pharmacist?
If you have visited a pharmacy recently, you're not the only one. On average an individual will visit a pharmacy 14 times a year. Pharmacists are the experts on medicines and are able to offer advice about minor ailments, such as coughs, colds, cold sores and general aches and pains. Pharmacists are also well trained to offer advice and support on other health issues – such as weight loss, giving up smoking and emergency contraceptive. If you visit your pharmacy to collect medicine prescribed by a doctor, the pharmacist is always available to advise on the medicine and explain how to use it. For example, if you are given an asthma inhaler a pharmacist will be able to demonstrate how to use it.

Talk to your pharmacist
Your local pharmacy is a place you can ask questions and get a confidential consultation. Most pharmacies, have private consulting facilities allowing people to discuss their health conditions and ask about treatments, for example weight management and giving up smoking.