'Health promotion for pharmacists' (2nd ed), edited by Alison Blenkinsopp, Rhona Panton and Claire Anderson. Pp xii + 251. Price £19.95. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. ISBN 0 19263044 X.
This second edition of ‘Health promotion for pharmacists' contains updated and new material. There is comprehensive coverage of specific health promotion activities in the pharmacy, such as smoking cessation, nutrition, exercise, oral health, women's health and travel health. The new chapters describe the rapid changes in health care policy and opportunities for pharmacists to contribute to public health. There is also a chapter on the major health challenges of the 21st century (heart disease and stroke, cancer, mental health and accidents) which provides concise details of epidemiology, risk factors, intervention and the pharmacist's potential contribution, with cross-references to other parts of the book where practical guidelines are described.
An important new feature is the discussion of health-related behaviour and how it can be changed by pharmacy health promotion initiatives. There is also a chapter on how "concordance" in medicine-taking can be encouraged and can contribute towards secondary health promotion.
The book provides a brief but comprehensive starting point when exploring the issues around a specific activity, for example, participation in a smoking cessation initiative. It also provides an excellent overview of the potential role of pharmacy in many areas of health promotion.
The book would provide a good starting point for undergraduates and is an excellent contribution towards continued professional development and formal postgraduate studies. It also has much to offer the pharmacist in practice, as it is current and highly readable.
Reviewer - Jane Portlock is course leader for MSc programmes in clinical and community pharmacy and is senior lecturer in pharmacy practice in the school of pharmacy at the University of Portsmouth