Community pharmacists as antimicrobial resistance stewards: a narrative review on their contributions and challenges in low- and middle-income countries.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is a global public health crisis that impedes the therapeutic effectiveness of available antimicrobial agents. Due to the high burden of infectious diseases and limited resources, especially trained healthcare professionals, low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) are particularly susceptible to the detrimental effects of AMR. Sometimes, as the first and last point of contact for patients seeking treatment for infections, community pharmacists can play a pivotal role in the stewardship required for AMR.

Beating non-communicable diseases in primary health care: The contribution of pharmacists and guidance from FIP to support WHO goals.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), more than 36 million people die annually from non-communicable diseases (NCDs), representing over 60% of deaths worldwide, 15 million of which occur before the age of 70 years. Prevention and control of NCDs and their risk factors require interventions that are therapeutically cost-effective, affordable by the patient and/or health systems and feasible, based upon local resources. This commentary paper sets a basis of global evidence to advocate, nationally and internationally, for an expanded role for pharmacists in NCD management by compiling best practices and examples.

Barriers to medication counselling for people with mental health disorders: a six country study.

Unlabelled: Provision of medication information may improve adherence and prevent medication related problems. People with mental health disorders commonly receive less medication counselling from pharmacists than people with other common long term and persistent disorders.

Objective: The objective of this study was to compare and contrast barriers pharmacy students perceive toward providing medication counselling for people with mental health disorders in Australia, Belgium, Estonia, Finland, India and Latvia.

Attitudes of pharmacy students toward people with mental disorders, a six country study.

Objective: To compare and contrast the extent to which pharmacy students in Australia, Belgium, Finland, India, Estonia and Latvia hold stigmatising attitudes toward people with schizophrenia and severe depression.

Method: Data were collected as part of the International Pharmacy Students Health Survey, a census survey of third-year pharmacy students studying at eight universities in six countries. Respondents (n = 642) indicated how strongly they endorsed six stigmatising statements about patients with schizophrenia and severe depression.