An exploration of national health promotion programmes within community pharmacies

Abstract

In the 2005 Maltese Biannual Primary Health Care Conference, health professionals argued for the need to achieve better health status and social justice through collaborative efforts within the health care system, and for a change in focus from clinical and curative services to health promotion and disease prevention (Bonello, Degiorgio, Falzon, Frendo, & Vella, 2005). Pharmacists have an important role to play in this endeavour. "The promotion of good health, the avoidance of ill-health and the achievement of health objectives" (Federation Internationa e Pharmaceutique, 1997, pp.4) is one of the four core professional activities of pharmacists. Moreover, easy accessibility, a high level of use, lack of consultation fees, the non-necessity for appointments, an informal atmosphere, and the skills, expertise, and experience of the staff present make community pharmacies an ideal environment for health promotion services (Department of Health UK, 2003a; Jesson & Bissell, 2006). This study sought to plan an infrastructure for national primary health promotion activities, not related to medicinal management, within community pharmacies. A brief community health needs assessment was carried out. The prioritisation process resulted in the choice of the most pertinent health themes for the Maltese community. A review of international models of pharmacy initiatives addressing the chosen health topics was undertaken. A consideration of the local policy, infrastructure, and service characteristics then guided the selection of specific initiatives and their stratification into various levels.