The Pharmacy Beyond the Counter: From Dispenser to Care Partner

For decades, the pharmacist has held a trusted and accessible role within healthcare. Close to patients, embedded in the neighbourhood, and often one of the first points of contact for health-related questions.

Yet the role of the pharmacist is evolving. Across Europe, community pharmacies are gradually taking on a broader role in prevention, patient guidance and follow-up care.

During the recent Salvus Café, Belgian pharmacists came together to reflect on this evolution and discuss a central question: how can pharmacies build a more continuous care relationship with their patients, beyond the dispensing of medication?

From individual interaction to continued care

Pharmaceutical care is developing in many European countries. At sector events such as PharmagoraPlus in Paris, Infarma in Madrid and Cosmofarma in Bologna, a similar movement is visible: pharmacies are increasingly involved in medication reviews, vaccination programmes, smoking cessation support and the follow-up of patients with chronic conditions.

In Belgium too, several of these services are already recognised or reimbursed. The framework is gradually taking shape. Still, the integration of these services into daily pharmacy practice remains a challenge.

Why is that?

The challenge is not only time

One of the key reflections from the evening was that the barrier is not always a lack of time. Often, it is also a lack of structure, visibility and integration into the pharmacy workflow.

Many services are available, but they are not always systematically proposed to patients. Not because pharmacists do not see their value, but because the right processes, reminders or follow-up mechanisms are not yet in place.

The difference between a pharmacy that mainly responds to patient requests and a pharmacy that actively provides care lies in the way these services are embedded into everyday practice.

Digital tools as support for the pharmacist

A vaccination, a medication review or a smoking cessation conversation can each be valuable moments of care. But their impact becomes stronger when they are part of a more structured and continuous relationship with the patient.

Digital tools can support this evolution.

Not by replacing the pharmacist, but by reducing administrative burden, creating more structure and helping the pharmacy team identify the right care opportunities at the right moment.

Automated reminders, patient segmentation and structured service flows can help pharmacists spend less time on coordination and more time on meaningful patient interaction.

A broader role for the community pharmacy

The evening confirmed what many pharmacists already experience in practice: patient expectations are changing.

Patients are looking for accessible, reliable and personalised support. The community pharmacy is well placed to respond to this need, thanks to its proximity, frequent patient contact and high level of trust.

This evolution does not require the pharmacy to become more complex. It requires care services to become more visible, more structured and more naturally integrated into daily practice.

The pharmacy beyond the counter is not a distant vision. It is already taking shape, step by step, in community pharmacies across Belgium and Europe.

Three practical starting points

1. Use vaccination as an opportunity for broader care

A patient who comes to the pharmacy for a vaccination is already engaging with a preventive health service. This can be a natural moment to identify other possible needs, such as asthma follow-up, a medication review or smoking cessation support.

A simple question can be the start of a more structured care relationship.

2. Improve one process at a time

The transition does not need to happen all at once.

A pharmacy can start by improving one process each month: a clearer follow-up workflow, a more systematic reminder, or a better way to introduce an existing service to patients.

Small, consistent improvements can gradually lead to a more structured care model.

3. Better care also supports the sustainability of the pharmacy

More structured follow-up can contribute to better patient outcomes, stronger patient loyalty and a more sustainable role for the pharmacy within primary care.

Investing in care is therefore not only valuable for patients. It also helps strengthen the future position of the community pharmacy.