From Mr. M. Stapleton, MRPharmS
SIR,—I read with interest the recent article suggesting a potential role for pharmacists in dermatology (PJ, November 11, p708). As the hospital pharmacist specialist adviser to the "Report on the inquiry into skin diseases in elderly people" produced by the Associate Parliamentary Group on Skin (formerly the All Party Parliamentary Group on Skin) and with more than a passing interest in dermatology, I am fully supportive of any initiatives which result in benefits for these patients.
However, I feel that I need to raise two important issues. First, there is the area of training, which has been raised by a number of groups. The Associate Parliamentary Group on Skin produced a report in 1998 inquiring into the training of health care professionals dealing with skin diseases. The report made a number of valid recommendations centralising on the general lack of dermatology training undertaken by the medical, pharmacy and nursing professions. Going back to my own training I can recall the number of lectures I heard on dermatology which were minimal. Having now spent over a decade dealing with dermatology patients I have amassed a much greater field of knowledge in this area. It is my observation that it is important that initially patients get the correct information in the primary care clinic setting and that pharmacists are able to do this. Consequently, although there are a number of identifiable opportunities for pharmacists to provide information to dermatology patients, it is important that they have adequate training to do so.
Secondly, the area of funding needs to be addressed. For any community pharmacist to become fully trained and integrated into providing a comprehensive package of pharmaceutical care to dermatology patients requires time, effort and money. Time needs to be made available if dermatology patients are to be dealt with in an effective manner and this may not always be available in the busy community setting. Effort needs to be put in by the pharmacist to obtain the correct knowledge base.
Finally, money needs to be available to fund courses, pay for locums, etc, or maybe even provide funding for a dermatology pharmacist to support the nurse-led clinic model.
Mark Stapleton Technical Services Pharmacist, Hope Hospital, Salford