The role of the community pharmacist in minor ailments: Focus on uncomplicated urinary tract infection in women

Abstract

Community pharmacists can play an important role in selfcare by facilitating consumers and patients with effective advice, thereby supporting them with safe and effective treatment of minor ailments, including recurring acute cystitis. Because of that they can decrease general practice workload. Healthcare providers, healthcare organisations and government organisations should raise awareness among consumers and patients about safe and effective use of nonprescription medicines. Community pharmacists should also raise public awareness about their potential in providing patients with self-care advice including preventive actions. They should inform patients and consumers about the background of safety related questions in the pharmacy and the reasons for recording nonprescription medicines in the patients file. This could improve the perception of the added value of self-care advice in pharmacy. To be able to do this, community pharmacists should strive for optimal conditions in pharmacy for self-care advice, such as knowledge and skills development and assessment of self-care advice for themselves and their team. Community pharmacists could improve collaboration with general practitioners in self-care by learning about and understanding each other’s work and by awareness of differences. General practitioners and community pharmacists could reflect on their perspectives on self-care. They could also discuss pharmacists’ support for treatment of minor ailments such as recurring acute cystitis and agree on procedures and routines that clarify tasks and responsibilities.