Tomorrow's Pharmacist October 1999 p81-82
Edited by Pamela Mason

Awards

Pharmacy Student of the year Reckitt & Colman

by Niamh Dunlevy

A report of the international Pharmaceutical students' federation congress held in London

My prize as Reckitt & Colman Pharmacy Student of the Year was an all expenses paid trip to the International Pharmaceutical Students' Federation Congress. As it was held in London this year I did not see as much of the world as my predecessors and not as much as next year's winner who will win a trip to El Salvador. The conference was, however, stimulating and enjoyable, leaving me with some very coherent messages.

Professional development is important

That "pharmacists are health promotion champions" was the opening message of this year's symposium. Sultan Dajani (Great Britain), told us that pharmacists are ideally placed to communicate with everyone about a broad range of healthcare issues Pharmacists should use this position to target high-risk areas and educate the public wherever possible.

World Health Issues

Jennifer Archer and facilitators from the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education ran workshops. They covered areas including men's health, women's health, asthma, cardiovascular diseases, gastrointestinal diseases, wound management and drugs in sport. Some key issues that came through in the workshops included the fact that coronary heart disease, although a major healthcare issue in Scotland, was low priority in Guatemala where childhood diarrhoea was of greater concert. Pharmacy students world-wide recognised that poor inhaler technique was a major problem in the treatment of asthma. Polypharmacy was also a major problem which must be tackled according to the resources available, ranging from computerised Patient Medical Records to no patient records at all.
To follow on from an IPSF Tobacco Alert campaign, smoking cessation workshops were held. Smoking cessation in the UK can centre on nicotine replacement therapy, as the cost is comparable to the cost of smoking. However in Croatia, for example, a packet of cigarettes costs less than £1 and so the use of NRT is harder to promote. We must remember that smokers have rights and cessation should be self-motivated rather than inflicted.

The Past

A celebration to mark IPSF's 50th birthday featured an exhibition of highlights from previous congresses. Many delegates from all around the world joined in the celebrations and shared their memories.

The Future

Dr John Murphy (American Society of Health Systems Pharmacists) highlighted roles for pharmacists in preventing adverse drug reactions (ADRs). "As much money is spent in the US on treating the effects of ADR s as on the medication itself," he declared. Medicines should do more good than harm and they must ensure this became the case. He also encouraged us "to strive for good work and a successful career. There are now more opportunities in pharmacy than there have been ever before and we must optimise these. The key to this goal is involvement in organisations such as IPSF and our respective national organisations."
I believe that attending the IPSF congress seems to confirm this theory. We are all looking forward to the 46th congress in El Salvador.
Reckitt and Colman award The photograph shows Mel Smith, professional relations manager at Reckitt & Colman presenting me with my trophy as Reckitt & Colman Pharmacy Student of the Year.

Niamh is the winner of the 1999 Reckitt & Colman pharmacy student of the year competition (see p7)

Tomorrow's Pharmacist October 1999 p81-82 Edited by Pamela Mason