Abstracts 2008 - 03

Trudy Thomas
Senior Lecturer
Medway School of Pharmacy, Chatham Kent

Trudy qualified as a pharmacist twenty years ago and initially worked in community pharmacy before gaining experience in hospital pharmacy and primary care.  An early interest in training led her to roles as training officer for the National Pharmaceutical Association (NPA) and tutor for the Centre for Pharmacy Postgraduate Education (CPPE).  Trudy then moved to Medway School of Pharmacy in 2004, where she leads the Postgraduate Programmes and the Non Medical Prescribing Programme.  She recently started her PhD and is researching the role of the community pharmacist in the promotion of physical activity.  In her spare time she likes to run, is learning Spanish, and once a month still practises as a locum pharmacist.

ABSTRACT

Pain and the Pharmacist - Supporting People with Pain in Primary and Secondary Care

You are never far away from a pharmacist.  Pharmacists can be found in high street and village settings, and increasingly in health centres and GP practices.  They are also involved in research, development, quality assurance and clinical testing of new drugs, and in academia.  In hospitals, pharmacists provide a clinical service to wards and manufacture complex prescriptions in the dispensary.  In primary care, they lead the medicines management services.  In fact, pharmacists are involved at all stages of the development and manufacture of a drug, right through to advising patients on the best use of their medicines.

Research has shown that the pharmacist can make a significant contribution to many aspects of pain management, including acute and chronic pain services for critical care and palliative care patients.  Pharmacists also have a role in formulary development, policy and guideline development, and in providing advice on legislative matters relating to drugs.  In particular, they are experts in the legislation and policies relating to the prescribing, supply, administration, recording, storage and destruction of controlled drugs.