July 2021 sees the launch of the British Society of Pharmacy Sleep Services (BSPSS)
The Society will support through education, community pharmacists’ knowledge and understanding of various sleep disorders, to ensure that patients receive timely and appropriate advice and are signposted to other healthcare professionals where necessary.
The Community Pharmacists’ role in sleep problems
President of the BSPSS, Community Pharmacist Gareth Evans (pictured), says “the BSPSS will promote the role of community pharmacy as a trusted source of advice and information for patients with sleep problems, in order to create a patient-centric network of pharmacy-based sleep services”. As Gareth continues, “community pharmacists are the healthcare professionals on the high street and a highly accessible source of advice on a wide range of health issues.” Nevertheless, he believes that community pharmacists are an under-utilised resource for patients with sleep problems. He continues “with the appropriate training, community pharmacists can triage patients seeking advice on a wide range of sleep-related problems including insomnia, snoring, sleep apnoea and even narcolepsy.”
The BSPSS is undertaking research examining community pharmacists’ current knowledge and awareness of various sleep-related problems; to identify critical knowledge gaps and guide subsequent development of future training materials. The Society invites all community pharmacists to complete the QUIZ.
The BSPSS will establish a network of sleep-trained pharmacists who liaise with local sleep services and perhaps in the future, refer patients directly into these services.
About the British Society of Pharmacy Sleep Services
The Board of the BSPSS are pharmacy and sleep medicine professionals, who come together to enhance sleep education for community pharmacists. The BSPSS will provide up to date sleep and circadian research, and information to pharmacists around the world, to improve patient access to valid, evidence-based sleep information at their first healthcare interaction.
Find out more by visiting https://bspss.org/.
• Research has shown that pharmacists are often underprepared when it comes to sleep services, many having up to only 1.5hrs of dedicated education at undergraduate level.
• There are over 14,000 community pharmacies in Great Britain, many of whom are likely to require education and support in offering sleep services beyond the sale of over-the-counter remedies.
• The negative impact is well known: ”Sleep is a biological necessity, and insufficient sleep and untreated sleep disorders are detrimental for health, well-being, and public safety”. https://jcsm.aasm.org/doi/10.5664/jcsm.9476
• More and more pharmacists are obtaining prescribing rights, working within GP practices, and pharmacy prescribing is due to be a routine role (on qualification) as part of the pharmacy degree.
