Pharmacy: a unique opportunity to participate in education

Health education and health maintenance are part of the traditional role of the pharmacist, particularly for those engaged in general practice (retail) pharmacy, writes J. W. Barnett, APhO Hereford and Worcester AHA, in the last of our series. Pharmaceutical officers have many opportunities to exercise this professional role themselves either by direct contact with the public, or indirectly by helping and advising others. Although this generally involves educating the public on medicines, wider issues are also involved -- for example, fluoridation and the risk of poisoning from household chemicals.