Emerging role and professional service for pharmacy in air pollution highlighted in new report

A new report calls for a greater role for community pharmacists in reducing the negative effects of air pollution on health. The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) report includes findings from an international survey, spanning 62 countries and territories, about awareness of and roles for community pharmacists related to air pollution and respiratory health. According to the survey, pharmacists’ most frequently reported roles in respiratory care include supporting the use of non-prescription medicines and promoting adherence to medication. Few of the respondents said they generally and proactively discuss and manage the effects of air pollution on respiratory health. Pharmacists in less than one-half of the respondent countries and territories said they provided advice on protection from indoor and outdoor pollutants, and more than a fifth saying they do not yet provide any type of advice on this issue. Still, most of the respondents said that pharmacists want to further their role as trusted advisors and provide value in the area of respiratory care and air pollution. The survey noted that a key barrier to overcome in this area is a lack of training. Gonçalo Sousa Pinto, FIP lead for practice development and transformation and co-author of the report, noted: “According to the World Health Organization, air pollution is the greatest environmental risk to health, with nine out of 10 people breathing polluted air every day. There is, therefore, a clear need for pharmacists not only to respond to and manage respiratory illnesses and symptoms, but also to support proactive respiratory wellness.”