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Letters to the Editor
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Pharmacy practice
Common sense may not be common practice
From Mr D. P. Sharma, MRPharmS
John Sharp highlights some of the differences between the pharmaceutical
industry and the NHS in dress codes (PJ, 16 December 2006, p736). The
difference in the industry and hospital pharmacy mindsets is massive.
For someone who practised as a hospital pharmacist, the focus would be
on patient safety by ensuring the right dose of the right drug at the
right time, that there are no interactions and that the patient understands
what he or she has been prescribed. I do not doubt the commitment of
some NHS staff and nearly all hospital pharmacists I know work hard — and
in response to an increased workload, most would work even harder cutting
back on breaks or lunch. But the industry has provided me with another
viewpoint: working harder does not imply working smarter. Many in the
industry have taught me to take a step back. Only by becoming somewhat
detached from all the issues an individual faces can one really see what
is most important and therefore what one’s highest priority should
be.
Those who are genuinely concerned about good hospital practices (that
should be everyone) should have a go at joining the dots and seeing the
bigger picture. Before anyone responds declaring how much it will cost,
I would ask him or her to consider the costs of not doing anything. More
importantly, it is the necessary change in mindsets of everyone involved
in good practices that will ultimately reduce costs. Although all this
appears common sense, what is common sense is not necessarily common
practice.
Dave Sharma
Cambridge
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The
Pharmaceutical Journal