The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 270 No 7255 p909
28 June 2003

Society summary

Expanded guidance on cholesterol testing

The Royal Pharmaceutical Society's practice division has published a revised and greatly expanded version of its practice guidance on cholesterol testing by community pharmacists. The new guidance provides much more information on setting up the service than the previous version. It includes an appendix giving an updated list of apparatus available for testing.

The document also gives updated background information explaining the need for testing in pharmacies. It says that there are two reasons for providing such a service. One is as a monitoring service as part of providing pharmaceutical care to patients with established coronary heart disease (CHD); the other is to measure cholesterol as part of a CHD risk assessment process in patients with no disease symptoms. By raising awareness, improving detection, monitoring and treatment, pharmacists can make a significant impact on health.

The guidance also examines the role of cholesterol testing in the context of national disease prevention and management strategies. Practical aspects of testing are assessed as well as the results and referral process.

The Society's head of practice, Nigel Graham, said: "Community pharmacists have the clinical skills to provide services such as healthy lifestyle advice and cholesterol monitoring. Their services are easily accessible to the public and in many instances are available without appointment. Community pharmacists have an important role in helping to identify patients at risk of CHD by primary prevention in conjunction with local GP surgeries."

The guidance is a major revision of former guidance found in 'Medicines ethics and practice: a guide for pharmacists' (July 2002). It can be downloaded as a 32-page PDF file from the practice section of the Society's website. Pharmacists without access to the internet can obtain copies of the revised guidance from Lorraine Fearon, Practice Division, Royal Pharmaceutical Society, 1 Lambeth High Street, London SE1 7JN (tel 020 7572 2409; e-mail lfearon@rpsgb.org.uk).