Pharmacies of Today
The pharmacy industry is a major industry and it is one that affects all of our daily lives. We are all prone to some form of sickness at some time and will find ourselves running to the pharmacy to buy one kind of drug or another.
Pharmacies were not always around but as the world of medicine continued to be developed by physicians and scientists from across the globe, pharmacies began to develop. It became essential for pharmacists to have a place from which they could operate. This meant that an expert pharmacist would sit and prepare the medicines and then sell then. In this day and age pharmacists no longer have to compound medicines as all the drugs that they sell are purchased completely ready from the pharmaceutical factories. Increasingly the pharmacist has begun to appear more and more like a retailer rather than a health care professional. As a result of this you will find that many pharmacies are full of technicians so that the pharmacist can deal directly with the patients.
There are various kinds of pharmacies in the world today. There is the community pharmacy that now does not only stock medicines but will also stock toiletries, cosmetics and a number of other small beauty products. The hospital pharmacies that are located on hospital premises have more work of a clinical nature and do not place emphasis on the sale of stock. A hospital pharmacy may need to prepare emergency medication as well as the possibility of giving intravenous and intramuscular medication.
The two types of pharmacies that have been mentioned are the most generic kind of pharmacy. Over the years more and more specialists have been emerging. These specialists include the consultant pharmacy, the clinical pharmacy, the compounding pharmacy and the internet pharmacy.
Consultant pharmacy – This type of pharmacy works as a medical consultant in medical institutions.
Clinical pharmacy – This kind of pharmacy attends to patients directly who visit the pharmacy.
Compounding pharmacy – This pharmacy specialises in the making of the drugs.
Internet pharmacy – This form of pharmacy is a new type of pharmacy and focuses on the retail.
