The Pharmaceutical Journal
Vol 272 No 7303 p730
12 June 2004

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Pharmacy consulting areas wanted by men

Private consulting areas for discussing health issues with pharmacists would encourage 39 per cent of men to make more frequent use of pharmacies, according to Ian Banks, president of the Men's Health Forum. He was speaking at the launch of Men’s Health Week on 7 June.

Only 3 per cent of men currently use pharmacists for general health advice. Men wait longer than women before going to see a health care professional because they have a poor insight into their own health, added Dr Banks. The accessibility of pharmacists should be attractive to men, as long as their privacy is respected. Another problem is that one in seven men does not think that the pharmacist is sufficiently trained to deal with general health care needs.

Men’s Health Week, which runs from 14 to 18 June, was launched by Olympic rowing gold medallist James Cracknell, at the John Bell & Croyden pharmacy in London. Mr Cracknell encouraged men to make pharmacies their first port of call for their health care needs. “I am as guilty as anyone: I missed the 1996 Olympics after I was ill all year simply because I was not looking after myself properly,” he said. John Bell & Croyden are offering free “MOTs” to men, which includes cholesterol, blood pressure and diabetes tests.