Pharmacy practice in 2040.

Abstract

Pharmacy practice 50 years in the future is discussed. The practice of pharmacy in 2040 will be influenced by many trends and issues, such as increasing cultural diversity, the aging population, evolving drug and information technology, rising drug costs, and increasing third-party coverage. Pharmacy may take one of two paths. In the first scenario, institutional and community practice would drift further apart, with community pharmacy becoming more involved with retailing than with health care. In the second scenario, all pharmacists would become a vital component of an integrated, patient-centered system of health care; pharmacists, like physicians, would be salaried professionals, paid for by health-care programs financed through health insurance. The difference between the two scenarios is the degree to which pharmacists actively participate in their creation: The first will happen if pharmacists do not take action; the second will require a considerable amount of work. If pharmacists wish to see an active system of patient-centered pharmaceutical care in 2040, they must begin to create it now, regardless of their practice setting. Pharmacists must work to create a future in which they are an integral part of the health-care system.