Community Pharmacy

[1]- Introduction Definition : Community Pharmacy is a community based pharmacy. Community

pharmacy, all of those establishments that are privately owned and whose function is to serve the
society needs for both drug products and the pharmaceutical services. The main responsibilities of a
community pharmacy include appropriate procurement, storage, dispensing and documentation of
medicines. Community pharmacy is a unique hybrid of professionalism and business. Therefore the
community pharmacist should have the required education, skills, and competence to deliver
professional services. The community pharmacist should give detail about prescription and advise about
home health care supplies. [2]- Concept A community pharmacy can broadly be considered a
community-based pharmacy. The main responsibilities of a community pharmacy include compounding,
counseling, and dispensing of drugs on prescription to the patients with care, accuracy, and legality.
Appropriate procurement, storage, dispensing and documentation of medicines are within the purview
of its professional responsibilities. It is an important branch of the pharmacy profession and involves a
qualified and pertinent pharmacist. Being closely in contact with general people, the community
pharmacists should have the required education, skills and competence to deliver the professional
service to the community. [3]- Community health Community health refers to the healthy status of the
member of the community to solve the problems affecting their health and to the totality of a health
care provided for the community. Community health broadly encompasses the entire gamut of
community efforts for maintaining, protecting, improving the health of the people. Modern community
health seeks to bring together all the available health services (e.g. medical care, mother & child care,
family planning services, environmental sanitation, laboratory services, disease control programme,
health education). [4]- Public health Public health is the science and arts of— 1) Preventive disease 2)
Prolonging lifespan 3) Promoting health and efficiency through organized community efforts for— i) the
sanitation of the environment. ii) the control of communicable diseases iii) the education of the
individual in personal hygiene iv) the organization of medical and nursing services for the early diagnosis
and preventive treatment of disease. v)the development of the social machinery to ensure everyone a
standard of living for maintenance of health.

2. A recent definition of public health, which meets the criteria of modern public health is as follows —
“Public health is the planning carrying out an evolution of health measures and system services that
both maintain and improve the health of a population group, prevent and control diseases within the
population group”. [5]- Dimensions of health There are four major dimensions of health included in the
WHO definitions of health— 1. Physical health 2. Mental health 3. Social health 4. Spiritual health
Besides these, many more can be cited e.g. 1. Emotional 2. Vocational 3. Philosophical 4. Cultural 5.
Socio-economical 6. Environmental 7. Political 8. Educational 9. Nutritional [6]- Community Pharmacy
Management: Selection of site space layout and design: Various factors should be considered during the
selection of a site, such as population of area, distribution of the income among the population, types of
industry and the competitive climate. Plan of an ideal retail and whole sale drug store: One of the main
factors responsible for the success of a drug store is its location and proper layout design. An ideal plan
for proper layout design of a retail drug store and whole sale drug store: Retail Drug Store Design Whole
sale Drug Store Design [7]- Roles and responsibilities of community pharmacist A community pharmacist
may involve in all drug related problems like counseling on prescribed medicines, proper use of over the
counter (OTC), records, immunization schedule etc. Into the area of “Pharmacoepidimiology” (Post
marketing phase of a clinical trial of drug, concern with safety or risk of a new drug after coming in
market). He may involve I the control of serious communicable diseases by making community aware
through counseling. By this method a lot of diseases like TB, Syphilis, AIDS can be control. He also
beware about environmental health. He may also involve in patient health education through pamphlets
and bulletins. A community pharmacist guide patients about nutrition intake according to requirement
and disease.

3. He provides counseling to pregnant ladies about material and child health, diet and hygiene. He can
also help in guiding the parents for the protection of child against diseases by proper immunization
schedule. He provides counseling to alcohol addicted people and also encourages patient to prevent
themselves from chronic diseases. [8]- Objective of layout design: 1.To attract large number of
customers. 2.To increase the sale of store. 3.To have proper entrance of coming goods and space for
reserve stock, office and resting place for employees. 4.To reduce the selling expenses and provide
customer satisfaction. 5.To project a professional image and improve general appearance. 6.To minimize
the movement of customer with in the promises of the drug store. [9]- Design of retail and wholesale
drug store: A modern drug store should fulfill all the requirements in schedule “N” of drug and
cosmetics rules. To start a drug store a minimum of 150 sq. feet area is required similar to whole sale
drug store a minimum of 200 sq. feet. [10]- Types of a drug store: On the basis of design, it is classified
as: 1. Traditional Drug Stores: These types of drug stores are designed in such a manner that the entire
area of Drug store is exposed to customers. -Such a design has pleasing and professional appearance
and is convenient for both workers and customers. It provides opportunity for maximum sales but there
are good chances of theft in such design. 2. Personal Service Drug Stores: In this type of design, the
whole of the area is not exposed to the customer but the customer is required to interact with the drug
store personnel at the service counter. During the purchasing process the customer demands an article
and the personnel provide the articles. This service and design facilitates maximum interaction between
drug store employee and the customers. The success of the drug store depends upon the convenience
and friendly service of the personnel at the service counter. 3. Prescription Oriented Drug Store: These
types of drug stores provide a comfortable waiting area where the customers are expected to wait while
his prescription is proceeding. In this type of design health related items, drugs and prescription
accessories are displayed in the vicinity while orthopedic and surgical appliances are kept in a separate
room. Cosmetics and gifts are arranged in a suitable area in the store.

4. 4. Pharmaceutical Centre:These types of centre sell medicines, convenience articles, orthopedic and
surgical appliances. The store has sufficient floor space and is properly decorated. 5. Super Drug store:
Such types of drug stores have a huge floor area ranging from 5,000 to 10000 with a square design. The
customers have access to all-most-all the area in the drug store and can inspect, handle and select
articles themselves. The design is on self service pattern except for the prescription department where
self service is not possible. [11]- The legal requirements for the establishment of retail drug store:
Licenses: a). General Licenses: These licenses are granted to person who have the premises for the
business and who engage the services of a qualified person to supervise the sale of a drug store. License
for retail sale of drug store are issued in form 20 for drug specified in schedule C1 C1 excluding those
specified in Schedule X in form of 21 and for Schedule X in 20F. Conditions for general licenses:- 1.The
license should be displayed in prominent place in a part of premises open to the public. 2.The license
should comply with the provision of drug and cosmetics act and rules. 3.Ay change in the staff should be
reported to the licensing authority within one month. 4.Precaution prescribed by the licensing authority
for the storage of Schedule C and C1 should be observed. 5.For the sale of additional categories of drug
listed in Schedule C1 C1 excluding X the license must take prior permission of the license authority. b).
Restricted Licenses: The licenses for the restricted sale of drug other than those specified in Schedule C1
C1 and X and those specified in Schedule C1 C1 not in X are issued in the form 20A and 21A respectively.
Conditions for restricted licenses: 1.Drug should be sold in their original container. 2.License should be
complying with the provision of drugs and Cosmetics Acts and Rules. 3.Drug only purchased from a duly
licensed dealer. 4.The licenser must have adequate premises equipped with facilities for the proper
storage of drug. Staff (Personnel): Personnel or staff selection is one of the most important aspects of
developing an efficient operating community pharmacy. Success of a community pharmacy depends
upon proper selection training, and maintenance of employees (staff). Selection of staff: Following
criteria should be followed during the selection of the staff for community pharmacy:

5. 1. Minimum standards for qualification of employees should not be allowed to fall below the
minimum standards under here for a given position will result in fall in reputation of pharmacy. 2. Over
hiring means superior people should not be hired for inferior jobs; this type of selection may result in an
adverse effect on staff moral and efficiency. 3. For the proper selection of staff for a specific job, the
manager should develop a job description and a job specification for each position in pharmacy. This job
description should contain such detail as scope of job, its relation to other jobs, working hours, and pay
scale, etc. It prevents misunderstanding about the nature of the duties of a particular job. 4. Promotion
within a pharmacy staff may be appropriate. But in most of the cases external source must be used such
as employment agencies, placement offices of schools and universities or classified news paper
advertising. Orientation and training of staff: After proper selection needs to be followed by adequate
orientation and training of the employee, which results in increase productivity and reduced employee
turnover. Compensation: Retaining good employees is one of the most difficult problems faced by the
community pharmacy manger. Many factors decides keeping of employees but most important factor is
the compensation plan. Adequate compensation is necessary, not only to retain employee but also to
encourage them to work toward the over all goals and objectives of the pharmacy. [12]- IMPORTANCE
OF CODING AND STOCKING Importance of coding for drug store: Coding is the process of assigning f
code symbol or a number to a particular material for easy identification.It is important for a drug store
because; 1. Coding of various items of materials is essential for good system of store keeping. 2.
Ambiguity in description is avoided. 3. The length in description is minimized. 4. The codes ensure of
item lying in the store. 5. Each stored item is easily identified, particularly, where the same item is
known by more than one name. Importance of stocking for drug store 1. Drugs are stored in alphabetical
order. 2. It provides a channel for distribution of drugs. 3. It provides space for storage of drugs or
materials and supplies. 4. Drugs are readily available for administration.

6. 5. Vaccine and antibiotic drugs are stored in refrigerator. [13]- Maintenance of various registers
(records) in community pharmacy: For various reasons it is very important to maintain various legal,
financial and professional records in a community pharmacy. Type of records required in a community
pharmacy may be classified as following: (1) Legal records (registers): According to federal and sate law,
the pharmacy owner (manager) is responsible for maintenance of accurate up-to-date records of
specific classes of drugs and poisons according to Drugs and Cosmetic Act 1940. Rules 1945 and The
Poison Act 1919, the pharmacist is responsible for maintaining accurate records related to acquisition
and disposition of certain drugs that are supposed to be subject to possible misuse or abuse. According
to law it is required to maintain a record on the distribution of poison and hazardous substances.
Improperly maintained or incomplete records can bring legal action and penalties. (2) Patients records:
To include patients drug histories those type of records are maintained, although the format of records
may vary according to basic ideas of establishing a record. Records may be based on family unit basis
that allows the pharmacist to monitor the drug usage of each member of family. It provides basic
information about kinds and amounts of drugs being taken by average patients, which helps in reducing
the problems associated with drug interactions and individuals idiosyncrasies to drugs. These records
also serve in economic purposes, as source of information for insurance claims and for income tax
deduction of the patients. (3) Financial records: Properly collect and organized accounting data serves
various important uses as : 1.Serves as a basic tool for efficient management and measuring its effect.
2.For making sound decisions regarding future money needs, inventory requirement, personnel matters
and expansion of facilities. 3.In evaluation of past operations, controlling current operations and
providing information for planning and forecasting. 4.Analyzing revenues and expenses & Measuring
return on investment. 5.Providing the required information to potential granters credit and loans as well
as to federal, state, and local governmental agencies regarding income and business taxes. 6.Helping to
ensure a profitable operation.