We met Hala Jawad as we were both guest speaker at the Med Conference 2.0 launched by SANITAS PIONEER ENTREPRISE in Monastir Tunisia. Both activists in our respectiv fields.
UFFP introduces to you Hala Jawad , a pharmacist who’s passionate about all things pharmacy!
Interview for UFFP:
Tell us about you ?
I’m one of the lucky ones to have been involved in many other activities outside of a traditional pharmacy career. I’ve tried my hand at some media-related performances, and I love writing blogs ! I’ve worked in a community pharmacy setting and as a GP practice pharmacist. Every role has been different, but equally vital to my learning process. I have developed a special interest in public health and improving patient outcomes. Hala Jawad , a pharmacist who’s passionate about all things pharmacy!
I am a British pharmacist of Lebanese origin who lives in Surrey (UK) – a GPhC registrant with MPharm qualifications and a member of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society.
I am one of the lucky ones to have been involved in many other activities outside of a traditional pharmacy career. I have tried my hand at some media-related performances, and I love writing blogs! I have worked in a community pharmacy setting and also as a GP practice pharmacist, where every role has been different but equally vital to my learning process. Though this I have developed a special interest in public health and improving patient outcomes.
Communication in Pharmacy tell us more
Amongst other things, I have become a Foundation Champion, a GP practice pharmacist mentor for the RPS, a public health moderator for the RPS network and I also sit on a steering group for the RPS in Surrey.
I have received some accolades, from my peers, including recognition as the very first Pharma Face, and have been shortlisted as one of the Top 50 Pharmacy Influencers, by Chemist & Druggist magazine. I have also been referred to as ‘The Brighton Titan’!
We must constantly innovate in Pharmacy ?
Pharmacy is evolving and the New standards for pharmacy professionals came into effect on the 12th of May 2017.
The GPhC is proposing important changes to what pharmacy professionals have to do each year and I strongly believe the future of pharmacy is promising. The new roles appearing in practice pharmacy are exciting and we can play a vital role in freeing up time for General Practitioners in the community and their counterparts in hospital.
I am keen to see a strengthened relationship between community pharmacy and GP practices with enhanced roles in Medicine optimisation or medicine Management. Also important in this climate of austerity is the science of pharmaco-economics which basically translates to the amount of health care we get per pound (or Euro!) we spend, and, it is measured in QoLYS (Quality Of Life Years). An increasing number of pharmacists are undertaking the non-medical prescribing course which is a post graduate degree in the UK; this allows pharmacists to undertake the new roles being created in primary care.
It is important that the skills of pharmacists are appropriately used in polypharmacy reviews, to improve patients outcomes, moving towards a patient-centred care model, which demonstrates leadership and the ability to speak up when having concerns or when things go wrong.
Tell us about your service online?
I have developed a special interest, in public health and improving patient outcomes.
My new website, askhala.com is the first of it’s kind in Pharmacy and my reason for launching this is to continue my passion for helping people. We all lead busy lives and sometimes it is not always possible to visit a pharmacist for less serious issues. Pharmacists are qualified medical professionals and we can help give information and advice on a range of non-urgent medical reviews or minor ailments.
The process is as simple as 1-2-3 and available from anywhere, at any time. Send your question, wait for a reply and receive your advice. It provides a secure, on-demand, professional and trusted response straight to your device.
Ask Hala covers;
1-Medication information and advice
2- long term condition information and advice based on the information given by the patient
3- information and advice on the following:-
-smoking cessation
-sexual health
-health and wellbeing
-minor ailments
-over the counter medication
-how to take medication safely
-dementia
-safe use of medicines
For more information, email hala@askhala.com
How can we help patients nowadays with polypharmacy?
Frail, elderly people are at the most risk of polypharmacy;
Patients with multiple morbidities;
Normally taking more than 5 drugs;
Frequent exacerbations of condition(s);
Recent hospital admission;
Patients with recurrent falls;
Patients newly admitted to a care home or recently discharged from hospital.
“Multi-morbidity is associated with a reduced quality of life, higher mortality, polypharmacy and high treatment burden, higher rates of adverse drug events, and much greater health services use (including unplanned or emergency care).
A particular issue for health services and healthcare professionals is that treatment regimens (including non-pharmacological treatments) can easily become very burdensome for people with multi-morbidity, and care can become uncoordinated and fragmented.”
Reference :
https://www.nice.org.uk/advice/ktt18/chapter/evidence-context
What do you think of your Tunisian experience ?
I spent 50 hours in Tunisia and they were full of warmth, love and great hospitality – I was invited by Sanitas Pioneer Enterprise as a key note speaker for the Med Conference 2.0 and I was also interviewed on Tunisian National TV. It is believed to be the first time they had a Lebanese/British Pharmacist talking about health on their network which was a
great honour for me – I made a lot of friends.
Sanitas? Tell us about your involvement?
I was invited by Sanitas Pioneer Enterprise as a keynote speaker at the Palace of Sciences in Monastir, Tunisia, to talk about the changes in pharmacy in the UK.
The conference was a great success thanks to the organizing team and it has had a lot of interest from the media – the students were driven, motivated and so full of positive energy to learn.
My final year project at University was about motivational factors affecting pharmacists before, during and after becoming a pharmacist. Two theories I explored as part of this study were:-
Equity Theory / Organizational Justice : Equity theory deals with productivity, satisfaction, absence and turnover variables.
The Expectancy x Value Model of motivation: People’s level of motivation to engage in a task is related to two main factors:- their expectancy of being able to achieve the task and the value that success would have for them.
The Sanitas Pioneer Enterprise was full of encouragement as they are so motivated to know about the latest developments and trends in pharmacy. A great experience.
Thanks Hala JAWAD you are a truly UFFP WOMAN !