According to a recent report, 66 percent of adults in the United States take prescription drugs as part of their health care regimen. While many people are familiar with prescription drugs, they may not be familiar with the different kinds of pharmacies and the specific services they provide.
Here are five types of pharmacies.
1. Community Pharmacy
You are probably the most familiar with a community pharmacy. Most community pharmacies are located inside a grocery or department store. Some community pharmacies are known as drugstores where customers can also buy other products, like shampoo, toilet paper, and other necessities.
Pharmacists that work at a community pharmacy fill prescriptions for their customers. These pharmacists also offer advice on prescriptions and help customers understand how their health insurance covers the cost of prescription drugs.
2. Hospital Pharmacy
Just like it sounds, this type of pharmacy is located inside a hospital. Hospital pharmacies are also found in a clinic or nursing home. They typically have a wider range of medications than a community pharmacy.
A pharmacist in a hospital pharmacy works with other health care workers so that they can find the best medications to help a patient. Pharmacists in this type of pharmacy also monitor the supply of medications that are used in the hospital.
3. Compounding Pharmacy
Sometimes a patient needs a prescription drug that is available in a different form, such as a solution instead of a tablet. In some cases, the patient might be allergic to an ingredient in the medication, which means the drug would need to be made without that ingredient.
Both of these things can be done at a compounding pharmacy. This type of pharmacy also makes any kind of prescription drug that is not commercially available.
4. Research Pharmacy
This type of pharmacy is a place where research pharmacists develop new drugs. Research pharmacists also develop protocols for experimental drugs, provide expert consultation to investigators on drug-related issues, and provide care for patients that participate in research studies. Research pharmacies are usually affiliated with hospitals that do clinical trials and research.
5. Industrial Pharmacy
Manufacturing medications is the primary function of an industrial pharmacy. However, an industrial pharmacy also takes part in the other stages of making a medication.
These stages include:
- Packaging
- Quality control
- Marketing
- Sales
Pharmacists who work in industrial pharmacies are typically responsible for marketing prescription drugs made by certain companies. Industrial pharmacists also inform health care workers about what a specific drug does and its benefits.
To learn more, reach out to a local pharmacy.
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