Methods  Four focus groups were conducted with 32 South Australian pharmacists: two groups included community pharmacists and pharmacy owners;

one included hospital pharmacists and another, consultant pharmacists. Key findings  Four themes emerged: (1) poor awareness of health care reform agenda; (2) strong adherence to the supply model; (3) lack of appreciation of alternative models; and (4) communication barriers. Conclusions  Participants’ low awareness of Australia’s health care reforms and their expressed beliefs and attitudes to their current role in the health system suggest that they are not well prepared for the potential future roles expected of health professionals in the health care reform agenda. “
“Objective  To make a case for why UK pharmacy selleck chemical must adapt to the increasing demands of professionalism in practice. Methods  A review based on evidence

from the literature and personal opinion. Key findings  Pharmacists, just as with other occupational groups, have over the years been developing and fine-tuning ways through which they can attain full professional status and therefore command the same level of recognition and respect as the main traditional professions, notably medicine and law. Many commentators, however, believe that this ambition is far from being realised. Their argument is that the path to professional status is not that easily available to all occupations. Although there is a professionalisation process that the traditional professions go learn more through, it has been argued that services provided by pharmacy, beyond dispensing, can also promote its level of professionalism; for example, extensive counseling, medication therapy management, health screening, compounding or provision of durable medical equipment. Conclusions  As UK pharmacy and the wider UK National Health Service undergo changes and reconfiguration it is hoped that the creation of the ID-8 new professional body for pharmacy (the Royal Pharmaceutical Society) will help pharmacy in the UK develop the ideals

of professionalism. The old regulator (the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain) in July 2009 published two documents, the Code of conduct for pharmacy students and Fitness-to-practise procedures in schools of pharmacy,[1] to help instil professionalism among future pharmacists. The code of conduct sets out the expectations of students studying pharmacy in the UK and is based on seven principles, which are to make the care of patients your first concern, to exercise your professional judgement in the interests of patients and the public, to show respect for others, to encourage patients to participate in decisions about their care, to develop your professional knowledge and competence, to be honest and trustworthy and to take responsibility for your working practices.