Today, FIP marks Universal Health Coverage Day with a new report highlighting pharmacists’ current understandings and views about self-care from the FIP Multinational Needs Assessment Programme (MNAP). Among the findings gathered from 238 professionals across 55 countries, is confirmation that the majority of respondents believe that pharmacists should be actively supporting and promoting self-care. Pharmacists and pharmacy teams are developing more opportunities to extend their contributions and behaviours to facilitate self-care support for better patient health outcomes, the authors write.

However, the report also highlights substantial barriers towards optimising self-care activities and enhancing better outcomes in this area, such as inadequate funding and limited access to patient records. In addition, it identifies key themes that could improve community pharmacy practice and overall management for better self-care support delivery, including better use of digital self-care tools and healthcare technologies.

“Educating and training pharmacists to support self-care remains a necessity to bring tangible benefits to patients. This can enhance patients’ health literacy and awareness and assist them to better care for themselves, enhancing economic impacts and maintaining sustainable and efficient services,” said Ian Bates, Director of the FIP Global Pharmaceutical Observatory.