[ Browse by Service Category : Health Supportive Services : Sub-Topics of Pharmacies (214) ]
Compounding Pharmacies
Pharmacies that compound custom medications to meet unique patient needs. Compounding is required when needed medications are discontinued by or generally unavailable from pharmaceutical companies; when the patient is allergic to preservatives, dyes or binders in available off-the-shelf medications; when treatment requires tailored dosage strengths for patients with unique needs; when a pharmacist can combine several medications the patient is taking to increase compliance; when the patient cannot ingest the medication in its commercially available form and the pharmacist can prepare the medication in cream, liquid or other form that the patient can easily take; or when medications require flavour additives to make them more palatable for some patients, most often children.
Pharmacies that Deliver
Drugstores that accept prescriptions by telephone and deliver necessary medication to people who are unable to pick it up themselves.
Retail Pharmacies
Pharmacies that are licensed to dispense prescription drugs to the general public, counsel patients on proper use of the medication, and verify that new treatments are compatible with other medicines the patient may be taking. Many community pharmacies also sell cosmetics, shampoo, groceries and other household items; and retailers such as supermarkets may include a pharmacy as a department of their store.
Twenty Four Hour Pharmacies
Drugstores that are open on a 24-hour basis to fill emergency prescriptions.
The above terms and definitions are part of the Taxonomy of Human Services, used here by permission of INFO LINE of Los Angeles.