Diagnostic services and procedures are increasingly available within pharmacy and more and more people are conducting at-home tests.

Many pharmacies already measure customers’ blood pressure and glycosylated haemoglobin levels (a measure of blood diabetes control), as well as cholesterol. However, there are a growing number of opportunities to offer at-home tests for various infections, including HIV; markers of inflammation, such as C-reactive protein (CRP); and gene and inherited condition screening.

The technology to achieve this diagnostic knowledge is growing, with many measurements now being made on a credit card sized instrument and transmitted to mobile phones. Pharmacy teams are ideally placed to make customers aware of this diagnostic revolution and advise on how these measures can empower customers to effectively manage their health. Many people come to the pharmacy presenting heath concerns that they don’t want to ‘bother’ their doctor with.

As always, the pharmacy team can help to identify customers who should be referred to their GP, those who would benefit from an OTC medicine and those who require health information, which could be on screening and diagnostics. It is fair to say that diagnostics are undergoing a revolution, which pharmacy should be a part of. Those who are leading the Team Tuesday training will find accompanying learning prompts and teaching notes here.