San Sebastián will host the 1st Ibero-American SOCFIC Conference on Pharmaceutical Care for Minor Symptoms on October 18th, an event that will bring together representatives from scientific societies, professional colleges, universities, and patient associations from various countries, including Portugal, France, the United Kingdom, Guatemala, Brazil, and Spain. This conference, organized by the Ibero-American Community Professional Scientific Pharmacy Society (SOCFIC) and the Official College of Pharmacists of Gipuzkoa (COFG), aims to update and share experiences on pharmaceutical care for minor symptoms in community pharmacies.
The president of COFG, Miguel Ángel Gastelurrutia, highlighted that this conference will offer an opportunity to update on the management of minor symptoms in pharmacies and learn about their reality in different countries. The event will also include presentations on the implementation of services and the resolution of clinical cases related to common health problems in community pharmacies.
Jesús Carlos Gómez Martínez, a community pharmacist from Barcelona and president of SOCFIC, pointed out that the current situation of care for minor symptoms varies significantly depending on the location, pharmacy, and the pharmacist themselves, and that the differences are even more evident between different countries. Despite these challenges, Gómez Martínez emphasizes that there is a good moment to move forward, as the strength and experience necessary in community pharmacies to take on this challenge exist.
The conference will also contribute to the creation of common and agreed-upon action protocols, essential to improve health problem resolution in community pharmacies. “I am convinced that the conference and the debate it generates will contribute to enhancing pharmaceutical care for minor symptoms, because we are already working on common protocols and have an action plan to put them into practice,” stated the president of SOCFIC.
In the context of an aging population, the increase in chronic diseases, and a saturated healthcare system, Gómez Martínez emphasized the importance of promoting the healthcare role of community pharmacies. “If we do not strengthen the healthcare role of the community pharmacist, the population will be the first to be harmed, and the more vulnerable they are, the worse. The intervention of the pharmacist is crucial in promoting health, preventing disease, and resolving minor or limited health problems,” he explained.
The event is sponsored by the Pharmaceutical Distributor of Gipuzkoa (DFG) and has the collaboration of companies such as Almirall, Bausch + Lomb, Bayer, Boehringer Ingelheim, Cinfa, Deiters, Kern Pharma, NPRO, Olistic, Pranarom, Principuim Bios Line, Reig Jofre, and Zambon. The program includes various sessions and round tables that will address experiences of pharmaceutical care for minor symptoms, the situation in Ibero-America, clinical cases, and the transition from pharmaceutical indication to pharmaceutical prescription.
The conference will conclude with a SOCFIC assembly, where a constructive debate is expected to continue advancing in pharmaceutical care for minor symptoms and improve the health of the population through a collaborative and consensus-based approach.
via: MiMub in Spanish
