Pharmacists are being asked to participate in a major survey designed to shape the future of the pharmacy profession.

The Pharmaceutical Society of Australia (PSA) has launched the survey to gauge pharmacists’ opinions as it works to position the profession for a future featuring the delivery of more evidence-based professional services.

The move comes as the PSA works with the Australian Medical Association (AMA) to develop a model aimed at supporting a more integrated role for pharmacists to work in GP clinics as part of primary care teams.

The community pharmacy sector is also under increasing pressure, partly as a result of declining profits due to recent price disclosure changes.

PSA chief executive officer Dr Lance Emerson said the peak body aims to develop a sustainable 10-year blueprint for the future of pharmacists’ professional services.

“PSA see pharmacists’ roles extending well beyond the community pharmacy sector to services delivered in community, clinical and other settings,” he said in a statement.

Dr Emerson said while the profession has been focused on community pharmacy agreements driving practice change, more evidence-based professional services, delivered in a range of areas and through various funding sources, are also important.

“The CPA is but one of these and PSA believes Australia is far from realising the full benefits of evidence-based pharmacist services,” he said.

“We will be investing over the coming years in identifying and securing remuneration for a range of evidence-based pharmacist services that have been shown to improve health outcomes.”

Last month, the PSA and AMA announced plans to support pharmacists and GPs to work alongside each other in a bid to enhance patient care.

With an estimated 190,000 hospital admissions each year as a result of adverse drug events, the move is being billed as an opportunity to improve medicine use, reduce adverse drug events and boost patient care coordination.

“With the growing burden of chronic disease, we are seeing patients with very complex medication therapies,” AMA president Associate Professor Brian Owler said.

“By encouraging pharmacists to practise collaboratively with doctors in GP clinics we will improve communication and assist in managing these complex medication regimes.”