Science news that caught my eye

I am all for making health service more accessible for the public, I mean that the point of the NHS – to help people and it is one of the many reasons I decided to follow a career in medicine. However I am doubtful of this service – vending machines for medicine.

Okay, so I have A LOT of things that need to be done so just a short post. These two articles caught my eye and s

Decoding Heart Disease –

The human genome project was huge breakthrough for researchers everywhere and I’m glad that all research has started being put to good use. Hopefully it will make a big difference to both the lives of patients as well as the NHS.

Vending machines for medicine –

They are currently going on trail in five UK based hospitals but their end goal is to have them on high streets and shopping centres in the future. Part of me thinks this is a great idea for those that live in rural areas where such services are limited but then again a pharmacist does play an important role in the health service. People often have the notion that doctors and pharmacists clash, however they do in fact work very well together to provide the best care possible for the patient. A pharmacist can also provide additional advice and support for a patient after they have had a consultation with the doctor as well regulating medications and double checking prescribed medications. Most chemists/ pharmacies are situated near a doctor’s surgery and so chances are that more often than not a pharmacist will be able to spot an incorrect prescription as the will be familiar with many of the patients and their needs. Even in the most rural villages, they will always be some sort of health service setup that people can go and visit without any problems.

By introducing these vending machines, many patients will miss out on the one to one service that they would normally get and personally I feel this would be a loss. Also I don’t see many pharmacists being too happy about this development as it would weaken their role within the health service. Would they have to retrain as something else or would they be made redundant? Surely with the financial uncertainty we have hanging over our heads in the not to distant future, the less unemployed we have the better?