Priority area 9 | Livro Branco das Farmácias Portuguesas

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PRIORITY AREA 9. REFERRAL TO OTHER LEVELS OF HEALTHCARE

In order to meet the population’s health challenges, it is crucial to create models of care with the involvement of multidisciplinary teams, promoting the decentralisation of health care, bringing it closer to the community, and developing a more person-centred health system that guarantees autonomy in managing their health. The development of “direct referral lines”, which would allow scheduling medical appointments or referrals to hospital emergencies, makes it possible to optimise pharmacists’ skills and the contribution of pharmacies to improving the health of the population, reducing the burden on other entities in the health ecosystem and boosting the sustainability and resilience of health systems.^1-3

1. Curley LE, Moody J, Gobarani R, et al. Is there potential for the future provision of triage services in community pharmacy? J Pharm Policy Pract 2016;9:29. doi:10.1186/s40545-016-0080-8. 2. Pharmaceutical Group of the European Union (PGEU). Community Pharmacists Supporting Healthcare Systems: Lessons Learned from the COVID-19 Crisis. 2021. 3. Seston EM, Anoliefo CJ, Guo J, et al. Community Pharmacist Consultation Service: A Survey Exploring Factors Facilitating or Hindering Community Pharmacists’ Ability to Apply Learnt Skills in Practice. Pharmacy: Journal of Pharmacy Education and Practice 2022;10:117. doi:10.3390/PHARMACY10050117.

PROPOSALS FOR ACTION

Positioning pharmacies as the gateway for people to the healthcare system, namely through the identification and treatment of mild clinical conditions in pharmacies using pharmaceutical referral protocols (e.g. uncomplicated urinary tract infection, acute oropharyngeal infection, migraine, etc.) with reference to the doctor when necessary (see priority area 4).

Identification of individuals at risk of having or becoming ill, using validated scales and point-of-care tests, with counselling and referral to a physician.

Identification of individuals with problems related to the use of medication and intervention to resolve them, which may involve referral to other levels of care.

Possibility of scheduling a medical appointment or referral to hospital emergency room with a “direct referral line”.

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