Requirements & frameworks

Let’s talk about the requirements of GPP. GPP requires that a pharmacist’s first concern in all settings is the welfare of patients The second is that GPP requires that the core of the pharmacy activity is to help patients make the best use of medicines. Fundamental functions include the supply of medication and other health-care products of assured quality, the provision of appropriate information and advice to the patient, administration of medication, when required, and the monitoring of the effects of medication use. GPP also requires that an integral part of the pharmacist’s contribution is the promotion of rational and economic prescribing, as well as dispensing.

GPP also requires that the objective of each element of pharmacy service is relevant to the patient, is clearly defined and is effectively communicated to all those involved. Multidisciplinary collaboration among health-care professionals is the key factor for successfully improving patient safety. At the national or appropriate level, it is necessary to establish legal, workforce

and economical frame works: From the Legal framework to define who can practice pharmacy, the scope of pharmacy practice, the integrity of the supply chain and the quality of medicine. From the workforce framework, one can ensure the competence of pharmacy staff through continuing professional development programmes; And also it defines the personnel resources needed to provide GPP. The economic framework provides sufficient resources and incentives that are effectively used to ensure the activities undertaken in GPP. GPP includes standards that often exceed those laid down by national legislation. In facts, legislation seldom gives precise instructions about how the services should be produced to meet the requirements.

Therefore, national pharmacy professional associations have a role in setting standards required for GPP, which includes a quality management framework and a strategic plan for developing services. It is also recognized that in developing national standards for GPP, attention must be paid to both the needs of the users of health-care services and the capacity of national health-care systems to support these services. Since pharmacy practice will vary among nations, it will also vary among practice locations. Therefore, standards should recognize the uniqueness of different pharmacy practice settings for example, community and hospital pharmacy.

In addition, as medicines and needs change all the time, the standards should acknowledge evolving practice settings and provide these developing services with guidance without negatively affecting the evolutionary nature of practice. At the same time, a baseline should be established for practice, below which the activity cannot be considered “pharmacy practice” at all and, therefore, should not be condoned. Many of the rules and standards influencing pharmacy practice have been established within the profession by pharmacists, not imposed by external regulatory bodies. These rules and standards are followed by pharmacists because the profession agrees that they are the best thing for our patients and the public. Health-system certification and accreditation requirements and pharmacy guidelines form a basis for setting pharmacy standards.

Compliance with accreditation and certification standards, while voluntary, is essential for an organization. Meeting the minimum requirement of national legal entities is mandatory. Standards established by pharmacy professional organizations are often optimal and may be more challenging than accreditation and legal requirements. Internal requirements, for example, organization and department standards, must be consistent with external requirements. Whatever the source and whatever voluntary or mandatory, compliance with these requirements raises the level of pharmacy services and improves the quality of patient care. When establishing minimum standards on GPP, FIP emphasizes the importance of first defining the roles played by pharmacists, as expected by patients and society. Secondly, relevant functions for which pharmacists have direct responsibility and accountability needed to be determined within each role.

Thirdly, minimum national standards should then be established, based upon the need to demonstrate competency in a set of activities supporting each function and role. The minimum national standards for each activity are based on the processes that need to be relevant and defined appropriately according to the local needs of the pharmacy practice environment and national profession aspirations. All national pharmacy professional associations should also adapt these roles and functions in accordance to their own requirements.