UNIVERSITY


THE PHARMACY AT THE UNIVERSITY OF STIRLING HAS BEEN IN EXISTENCE FOR ALMOST 60 YEARS. FOR THE PAST 17 YEARS IT HAS BEEN PART OF THE RIGHT MEDICINE PHARMACY GROUP. HERE, DIRECTOR JONATHAN BURTON TELLS SP WHAT LIFE ON THE CAMPUS HOLDS FOR THE COMMUNITY PHARMACIST.


TOP OF THE CLASS: ON-CAMPUS PHARMACY


‘As an on-campus university pharmacy our demographic is definitely very different to that of the traditional high street pharmacy. While any of The Right Medicine Pharmacy’s high street pharmacies can feature everyone from babies to the very elderly, our demographic is the 17-25 year-old age group, with, of course, lecturers and administrative staff added in.


‘Put simply I would say that a university pharmacy contains everything that you would find in a normal community pharmacy but with a different demographic. As such, the ‘proportions’ related to each of the services differs somewhat from the norm.


‘Due to the age range of our patients, on a typical day, the amount of time that we actually spend on prescribing is minimal. Our time spent in consultations, however, is substantial. We also operate as an NHS walk-in clinic and so I, as an independent prescriber, am able to diagnose and prescribe for common clinical


36 - SCOTTISH PHARMACIST


conditions such as ear, nose and throat complaints and dermatological issues. There are GPs on the campus, but they’re not in the same building and I think one of our major strengths is that patients can simply ‘pop in’ when they’re passing and receive clinical care without having to make a formal appointment at the surgery.


‘The success of this walk-in clinic was reflected in the statistics that were recently compiled to assess our business for the first twelve months. Over the year we dealt with:


• 350 walk-in consultations


• 120 sore throat assessments - most of which were viral or tonsillitis


• 100 dermatological issues – of which the majority were basic eczema, affected eczema and scabies (which is the result of people living in close proximity to each other)


• 100 ear-based consultations


‘The rest of the conditions I dealt with related to eyes and chest assessments. We are delighted with the statistics as they clearly show the role that the community pharmacist can play in dealing with common clinical issues.


‘We are very proactive in the pharmacy in ensuring that, when someone attends the walk-in clinic, we invite them back at a later date to talk about what the pharmacy can offer them.


‘Our population is also very international in its make-up, with vastly differing models of healthcare from around the world and varying health beliefs all at play.


‘People come to our pharmacy who are used to whatever system of healthcare they had at home. In the United States, for example, they are used to a system that is very insurance led and they’re not used to the idea of healthcare delivered free at the point of care.


‘Cult beliefs also come into play, with


many patients – particularly those from northern European countries, such as the Scandinavian region, very suspicious about over-use of antibiotics and so they are less likely to visit the GP for an antibiotic. Those from southern Europe are, however, more used to the culture of using antibiotics, which is why we are overusing them!


‘Now that, as pharmacists, we are increasingly involved in consultations, we have the opportunity to provide education as regards healthcare and can teach the students about educated support. Many students may, for example, be looking after themselves for the first time and so we have an excellent opportunity to speak to them about self care. We can also impress on them the vast range of services that they can access in community pharmacy without having to visit the GP.


‘As a prescribing pharmacist, I am in a position to help international patients, who may perhaps not be registered or


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48