‘Community Pharmacy – Theory’ is a course offered in the second year of Pharm. D. program at School of Pharmacy, Health Sciences campus, Amrita Vishwa Vidyapeetham.

Course Duration: 2 Hrs./Week

Scope:

In the changing scenario of pharmacy practice in India, Community Pharmacists are expected to offer various pharmaceutical care services. In order to meet this demand, students will be learning various skills such as dispensing of drugs, responding to minor ailments by providing suitable safe med- ication, patient counselling, health screening services for improved patient care in the community set up.

Objectives of the Subject

Upon completion of the course, the student shall be able to –

1. Know pharmaceutical care services;
2. Know the business and professional practice management skills in community pharmacies;
3. Do patient counselling & provide health screening services to public in community pharmacy;
4. Respond to minor ailments and provide appropriate medication;
5. Show empathy and sympathy to patients; and

Text books (Theory)

1. Health Education and Community Pharmacy by N.S.Parmar.
2. WHO consultative group report.
3. Drug store & Business management by Mohammed Ali & Jyoti.

Reference Books (Theory)

1. Handbook of pharmacy – health care.Edt. Robin J Harman. The Pharmaceutical press.
2. Comprehensive Pharmacy Review – Edt. Leon Shargel. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.

Special requirements:

1. Either the college is having model community pharmacy (meeting the schedule N requirement) or sign MoU with at least 4-5 community pharmacies nearby to the college for training the students on dispensing and counselling activities.
2. Special equipments like B.P apparatus, Glucometer, Peak flow meter, and apparatus for cholesterol estimation.
3. Scheme of evaluation (80 Marks)
   1. Synopsis                                                                           10
   2. Major Experiment                                                             30

   (Counselling of patients with specific diseases – emphasis should be given on Counselling introduc- tion, content, process and conclusion)

4. Minor Experiment(Ability to measure B.P/ CBG / Lung function)                           30
5. Prescription Analysis (Analyzing the prescriptions for probable drug interaction and ability to tell the management)                           15
6. Viva – Voce                           10

1. Definition, scope, of community pharmacy
   1. Roles and responsibilities of Community pharmacist
2. Community Pharmacy Management
   1. Selection of site, Space layout, and design
   2. Staff, Materials- coding, stocking
   3. Legal requirements
   4. Maintenance of various registers
   5. Use of Computers: Business and health care soft wares
3. Prescriptions – parts of prescription, legality & identification of medication related problems like drug interactions.
4. Inventory control in community pharmacy
   1. Definition, various methods of Inventory Control
   2. ABC, VED, EOQ, Lead time, safety stock
5. Pharmaceutical care
   1. Definition and Principles of Pharmaceutical care.
6. Patient counselling
   1. Definition, outcomes, various stages, barriers, Strategies to overcome barriers
   2. Patient information leaflets- content, design, & layouts, advisory labels
7. Patient medication adherence
   1. Definition, Factors affecting medication adherence, role of pharmacist in improving the adherence.
8. Health screening services
   1. Definition, importance, methods for screening
   2. Blood pressure/ blood sugar/ lung function and Cholesterol testing
9. OTC Medication- Definition, OTC medication list & Counselling
10. Health EducationWHO Definition of health, and health promotion, care for children, pregnant & breast feeding women, and geriatric patients. Commonly occurring Communicable Diseases, causative agents,

    Clinical presentations and prevention of communicable diseases – Tuberculosis, Hepatitis, Typhoid, Amoe- biasis, Malaria, Leprosy,

    Syphilis, Gonorrhea and AIDS

    Balance diet, and treatment & prevention of deficiency disorders Family planning – role of pharmacist

11. Responding to symptoms of minor ailmentsRelevant pathophysiology, common drug therapy to, Pain, GI disturbances (Nausea, Vomiting, Dyspepsia, diarrhea, constipation), Pyrexia, Opthalmic symptoms, worms infestations.
12. Essential Drugs concept and Rational Drug TherapyRole of community pharmacist
13. Code of ethics for community pharmacists