Following a roundtable hosted by GSK Consumer Healthcare, in collaboration with the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) earlier this year, six barriers were identified as obstacles preventing the global pharmacy community from fulfilling its potential.

These are: workload; remuneration; limited education on disease prevention; public misperceptions of pharmacists’ expertise; integration challenges within the wider healthcare system; and support for identifying and addressing low health literacy among health consumers. 

To tackle these issues, GSK Consumer Healthcare has committed to helping pharmacists with bespoke support, training, and tools as part of its three-year plan, which during the current year will see pharmacists and their teams being provided with “behavioural change tools and guidance” to use in self-care conversations.

Tess Player, global head of expert at GSK Consumer Healthcare said: “Pharmacists remain under-utilised, despite being the most widely distributed health resource in Europe.

“Our three-year plan is only the beginning; we have spent years working with experts to gain a better understanding of the barriers the pharmacy community faces and how we can empower them to fulfil their utmost potential,” Ms Player added.