World Pharmacists Day 2021: ”Pharmacy: Always trusted for your health”

Overview

The World Pharmacists day is observed each year on 25 September. This year the theme of world pharmacist day is ”Pharmacy: Always trusted for your health”.

The COVID-19 pandemic and the infodemic around it have fuelled distrust. Trust barometers have found that distrust of societal leaders has increased and distrust of all information sources is at record highs.

At a time of uncertainty and when vaccines hesitancy remains a major hurdle, public trust in pharmacy is more important than ever before.

Three elements are necessary for trust: positive relationships, competency/expertise, and consistency.

World Pharmacists day 2021

Positive relationships Our genuine interest in our patients and time taken to listen to their needs, as well as our extra efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic, have helped us to establish meaningful connections and continue to build positive relationships.

Competency/expertise We typically complete a four-year Master of Pharmacy degree or a doctorate in pharmacy, followed by a preregistration year/internship. Once registered, we undertake lifelong learning or further training to become more specialised.

Consistency As the most accessible healthcare provider in many parts of the world, working in premises that operate longer working hours than many other healthcare facilities, we and our pharmacies are more able to demonstrate, consistently, our skills and caring.

Many patient-pharmacist relationships are grounded in trust built over time. The public trusts our advice. They trust us to maintain confidentiality. More and more governments are trusting us to administer vaccines and to provide other expanded services, such as testing. Healthcare systems trust us to find solutions for medicines shortages. There are many more examples.

Source of info: https://www.fip.org

Related readings

• World Pharmacist Day 2020: “Transforming global health”
• World Pharmacists Day: Safe and effective medicines for all
• World Pharmacists Day 2018: Pharmacists are your medicines experts
• “From research to health care: Your pharmacist is at your service” – World Pharmacists Day 2017
• “Pharmacists: Caring for you” – World Pharmacists Day 2016
• “Pharmacist: Your partner in Health”: World Pharmacists Day 2015
• International days, weeks and years of Public Health Concern
• My Heart, Your Heart #WorldHeartDay