Syllabus Community Pharmacy and Management • Community Pharmacy Practice - Definition, history and development of community pharmacy - International and Indian scenarios. (Chapter - 1) • Professional responsibilities of community pharmacists, Introduction to the concept of Good Pharmacy Practice and SOPs. (Chapter - 2) • Prescription and prescription handling : Definition, parts of prescriptions, legality of prescriptions, prescription handling, labelling of dispensed medications (Main label, ancillary label, pictograms), brief instructions on medication usage, Dispensing process, Good Dispensing Practices, dispensing errors and strategies to minimize them. (Chapter - 3) • Communication skills : Definition, types of communication skills, Interactions with professionals and patients, Verbal communication skills (one-to-one, over the telephone), Written communication skills, Body language, Patient interview techniques. (Chapter - 4) • Patient counselling : Definition and benefits of patient counselling, Stages of patient counselling - Introduction, counselling content, counselling process, and closing the counselling session, Barriers to effective counseling - Types and strategies to overcome the barriers, Patient counselling points for chronic diseases/disorders - Hypertension, Diabetes, Asthma, Tuberculosis, Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and AIDS, Patient Package Inserts - Definition, importance and benefits, Scenarios of PPI use in India and other countries, Patient Information leaflets - Definition and uses. (Chapter - 5) • Medication Adherence : Definition, factors influencing non-adherence, strategies to overcome non-adherence. (Chapter - 6) • Health Screening Services in Community Pharmacy : Introduction, scope, and importance of various health screening services - for routine monitoring of patients, early detection and referral of undiagnosed cases. (Chapter - 7) • Over The Counter (OTC) Medications : Definition, need and role of Pharmacists in OTC medication dispensing, OTC medications in India, counseling for OTC products, Self-medication and role of pharmacists in promoting the safe practices during self-medication, Responding to symptoms, minor ailments, and advice for self-care in conditions such as - Pain management, Cough, Cold, Diarrhea, Constipation, Vomiting, Fever, Sore throat, Skin disorders, Oral health (mouth ulcers, dental pain, gum swelling). (Chapter - 8) • Community Pharmacy Management : Legal requirements to set up a community pharmacy, Site selection requirements, Pharmacy designs and interiors, Vendor selection and ordering, Procurement, inventory control methods, and inventory management, Financial planning and management, Accountancy in community pharmacy - Day book, Cash book, Introduction to pharmacy operation softwares - usefulness and availability, Customer Relation Management (CRM), Audits in Pharmacies, SOP of Pharmacy Management, Introduction to Digital Health, mHealth and Online pharmacies. (Chapter - 9)
