| 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. |
