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. 2019 Jul 10;7(3):87. doi: 10.3390/pharmacy7030087

Table 1.

Numbers and activities of Estonian community pharmacists and pharmacies [12,13,14,15].

Source Number/Reply Comment
Community pharmacists 894 in 2019 A total of 41% of the community pharmacy staff are pharmacists. The total number of employees is 2180.
Community pharmacies 495 in 2019 A total of 343 are general and 152 are branch pharmacies. The main difference with branch pharmacies is the absence of any obligation to compound medicines. A branch pharmacy operates under the supervision of a general pharmacy. Starting in April 2020, branch pharmacies operating in communities with a population of >4000 will be either transformed into general pharmacies or closed.
Competencies and roles of community pharmacists A pharmacist can be the owner, manager and responsible pharmacist. The main professional tasks are related to organization and provision of high-quality pharmaceutical care. Professional competencies include:

  • dispensing and counselling of prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medicines,

  • compounding/preparation of extemporaneous medicines,

  • point of care testing (e.g., blood pressure measurement, cholesterol, blood sugar, haemoglobin),

  • disease prevention and health education of the patients,

  • reporting of adverse drug reactions (pharmacists are not authorized to report, but assist patients in reporting of ADRs), and

  • piloting extended services (e.g., medication use review, influenza vaccination, screening for the risks of diabetes, advice on cessation of smoking).

Is ownership of a community pharmacy limited to pharmacists? Yes Starting on 1 April 2020, >50 per cent of the shares of the private legal entity (the dominant influence) must be in the possession of a pharmacist, working as the manager in at least one of the general pharmacies (up to a maximum of four general pharmacies).
Rules of geographical distribution of community pharmacies Yes Pharmacies in a community with a population of <4000 can operate as branch pharmacies.
Are drugs and other health care products available to the public through other channels? Yes/No Community pharmacies have a monopoly on the sale of prescription and OTC medicines. Health care products are available in supermarkets, etc. In 2013, an online pharmacy, operating as a branch pharmacy, was created.