2025-01-26 於2025月01月26日

Primary Care, Over-the-Counter and Health

As the guest editors-in-chief of Hong Kong Pharmaceutical Journal, we are honoured to present this issue, which focuses on the significant topic of community pharmacy development in Hong Kong.

Pharmacists play a very important role in the healthcare system in Hong Kong. The government has spearheaded several policy initiatives on primary healthcare and community pharmacy development through the release of the Primary Healthcare Blueprint, the establishment of the Primary Healthcare Commission, the setting up of a Strategic Purchasing Office, and the future tendering of community dispensing services. In light of this, we are delighted to have included a number of articles with different emphases on community pharmacy development.

The first article by Mr Chiu Philip Kwok Leung, titled ‘Primary Healthcare and Community Pharmacy Development in Hong Kong’ provides a comprehensive account of the historical role of the pharmacy profession in primary healthcare from 2014 to the present. It also highlights his personal journey and six years of involvement as a member of the Steering Committee of Primary Healthcare.

The second article presents a highly impactful project, the “Jockey Club PHARM+ Community Medication Service Network Project” (“JC PHARM+ Project”), which is initiated and funded by The Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust. It is authored by Mr Tommy Ka-Ho Lee and the project team. This article provides a comprehensive outline of the Project objectives, key services provision, and eight community pharmacy service network partners. 

Having involved in the JC PHARM+ Project since its inception as Principal Investigator and Assistant Project Director respectively, we are delighted to witness the growth of this highly innovative project that serves as an excellent model of practice to the pharmacy profession and accelerate the development of primary healthcare in Hong Kong. In the subsequent article by the same Project team, titled “Jockey Club PHARM+ Community Medication Service Network – Roundtable Meeting on Community Pharmacy Good Practice Alignment”, the authors share the key insights and significant consensus reached among participating pharmacists during the roundtable meeting. It is encouraging for the profession to identify common operational challenges, discuss best practices and explore effective strategies to improve medication safety and practice.

In her article “HKUMed Launches Hong Kong’s First University Community Pharmacy to Advance Primary Healthcare”, Ms Cynthia Sum-yi Wu highlights the establishment of community pharmacy within the education sector, serving as a platform for interprofessional healthcare education and research. The initiative is also one of the core developments of HKUMed’s Comprehensive Primary Healthcare Collaboratory. We trust that pharmacists are trained professionals who are ready to support the healthcare system of Hong Kong.

Mr Leung Shek Ming and Ms Meyone Yuen-Tung Ng, in their article “Structural Consultation Skills of Hong Kong Pharmacists in Primary Care Setting”, evaluate eight consultation models used in primary care pharmacy settings and explore the development of a hybrid consultation model. This model integrates elements from various approaches, incorporating diverse assessment and questioning techniques to improve the quality of pharmacy consultations within the unique context of Hong Kong.

The final article “Gatekeepers of Community Health” (written in Chinese) by Mr Lam Wai Man highlights the vital role of community pharmacies and members of the Hong Kong General Chamber of Pharmacy across Hong Kong’s 18 districts in safeguarding the health of the population and promoting public health through different professional services of pharmacists.

With the rapid advancement of primary healthcare in Hong Kong, this is an incredibly exciting time for the pharmacy profession in the region. The future success of community pharmacy and the pharmacist profession will rely on continued knowledge exchange and collaborative efforts among pharmacists and different stakeholders. We hope these articles provide readers with valuable insight into how pharmacists and community pharmacies are entering a new era of primary healthcare development and the pharmacist profession.

Prof Ian Wong Chi Kei

Dr Anchor Hung Tak Fung

Co-editors-in-Chief

24 January, 2025