The common man is aware of only the general pharmacy that he or she visits on a regular basis. Usually, only the people who are actually in the field of medical science have the knowledge about the different pharmacies that exist. However, this knowledge should not be limited to only the people working in the field of medicine.
Essentially knowing a brief about the different pharmacies is important. Just awareness can help a lot whenever a near or dear one falls sick. When it comes to pharmacies, apart from the general pharmacies some people are aware of the compounding pharmacy Los Angeles. But in reality there exist different types of pharmacies. Gathering the basic information about these will take you a long way.
Brief about types of pharmacies:
Following is an overview about the several types of pharmacies that exist at present:
- Community pharmacy – Retail pharmacy, general pharmacy or community pharmacy are all the same. These are just the different names that we assign to the pharmacies we visit on a regular basis. Going by the name of community pharmacy, these drug stores create a link between the pharmaceutical companies and the general public. Educating visitors and providing them access to the generic medications is the main role of community pharmacy.
- Hospital pharmacy – A hospital pharmacy usually provides medicines to the patients present in the hospital. They work in close contact with the doctors of the hospitals. This helps them in gathering the details of the different medicines that the patients need in a day. Having said that, they are also free to provide services to outside patients as well. Hospital pharmacies also play a part in selection of drugs, education of medical staff, drug safety and so much more.
- Clinical pharmacy – Be it medical centers, hospitals or nursing homes, the clinical pharmacies can exist in any of the places. The main role of clinical pharmacies is to ensure that the use of medications is to its optimum level. Only optimal use of drugs will ensure best results amongst patients. Additionally clinical pharmacies are also responsible for prevention of adverse reactions to medication due to lack of knowledge about drug interaction.
- Industrial pharmacy – The main link of industrial pharmacies is with the pharmaceutical companies. This pharmacy type has involvement in research, production, packaging, quality control and sales of pharmaceutical drugs. The industrial pharmacies also play the role of representing a particular pharmaceutical company to advocate the actions and benefits of its products.
- Compounding pharmacy – This is another popular pharmacy type. The role of a compounding pharmacy is to assist the patients by creating medicines that suit their needs. Usually custom compounding pharmacies also provide custom vitamin compounding to fulfill the nutritional deficiencies of the patients. The aim of a compounding pharmacy is to speeden up the treatment of the patients without causing any risk of allergies.
- Consulting pharmacy – This is the up and rising pharmacy type. Having been in existence since 1990, the consulting pharmacies are not a part of the process of dispensing medicines. These are instead involved in educating patients about how to maximize the effect of medicines. Anyone who has queries about his or her medications can freely contact a consulting pharmacy to learn about its details.
- Ambulatory care pharmacy – The ambulatory care pharmacy is a mobile pharmacy reaching out to patients in the rural areas. Its aim is to provide best medications to people who do not have easy access to hospitals but are suffering from different illnesses. The ambulatory care pharmacy is helping in taking consultants and medications directly to the patients residing in remote areas.
- Regulatory pharmacy – Just like the name suggests, the regulatory pharmacy has active involvement in creating rules and regulations for safe use of medicines. Usually pharmacists working with public health and safety are part of the regulatory pharmacies.
- Home care pharmacy – For patients who are dealing with serious illnesses and require injectables, can search for home care pharmacies. These pharmacies provide delivery of only injectables at the doorstep of patients, thereby providing convenience to the patients. Home care pharmacies focus on only critically ill patients and are only active with injectables.Â
- Managed care pharmacy – When it comes to planning and management of medications in health organizations, the managed care pharmacy plays a key role. For places like hospitals, nursing homes or healthcare centers, the managed care pharmacy is essential.
- Research pharmacy – The research pharmacies work consistently for development of new drugs. They research not just new drugs but also its effects, side effects and so much more.
Bottom line:
Each of the pharmacies assist various patients in different ways. They specialize in certain aspects and this specialization is what you need to look for whenever in need. The most popular medical needs are commonly fulfilled with the general pharmacies and the compounding pharmacies.
Because the compounding pharmacies are creating medicines as per the requirements of the patients, they are gaining immense popularity. So the next time you are thinking of visiting a pharmacy for your medical needs, make sure you give a thought on the uses of all the above pharmacy types. Choose your pharmacy wisely for the best results that fall within your budget.
