Thursday, January 25, 2007

What do you mean by the term Pharmacy

Pharmacy is a transitional field between health sciences and chemical sciences and a profession charged with ensuring the safe use of medication. Traditionally, pharmacists have compounded and dispensed medications on the orders of physicians. More recently, pharmacy has come to include other services related to patient care including clinical practice, medication review, and drug information. Some of these new pharmaceutical roles are now mandated by law in various legislatures. Pharmacists, therefore, are drug therapy experts, and the primary health professionals who optimise medication management to produce positive health-outcomes.

The symbols most commonly associated with pharmacy are the mortar and pestle and the (recipere) character. Pharmacy organisations often employ other elements, such as the Bowl of Hygieia, conical measures, and caduceuses in their logos. Other symbols are common in different countries such as the green Greek cross in France and the United Kingdom, the increasingly-rare Gaper in The Netherlands, and a red stylised letter A in Germany and Austria, Apotheke being the German word for pharmacy

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