CommentaryA comparison of pharmacists' role functions across various nations: The importance of screening

SummaryIn recent years, several developed countries reported on new multidisciplinary roles of pharmacists and pharmacy assistants, especially considering the former's expanding functions. This paper examines differences in pharmacists' and pharmacy assistants' professional roles and the dispensing system in Japan with those in the United Kingdom, Malaysia, and the Philippines. A review of relevant literature was supplemented by interviews of dispensary staff at hospitals and community pharmacies in Malaysia and the Philippines. The UK, Philippines, and Malaysia had dispensing assistants who performed dispensing roles, while Japan did not. Although pharmacy assistants occasionally performed screening and dispensing inspections due to the lack of pharmacists, it is necessary for pharmacists participating in risk management to ensure formula optimization and monitoring. Pharmacists' contribution to medical care involves ensuring safety in drug therapy and overall medical services. Screening is the most fundamental and important function performed exclusively by pharmacists, thereby establishing their status within the medical system.