Community pharmacists are being asked to complete a new survey around their roles in supporting patients with self-care, as part of a global study launched by the International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP).

The anonymous survey explores pharmacist’s views on what self-care means and asks about the approaches, advice and solutions they offer to patients as part of self-care support.

The use of digital self-care tools and healthcare technologies are also asked about within the survey, as well as any challenges around these tools may present.

Carried out by the FIP Global Pharmaceutical Observatory, the survey comes as part of a global overview and study which hopes to examine worldwide understandings of the self-care concept, including needs, engagement, barriers and enablers in supporting people’s management of their health conditions.

The survey follows ongoing calls from pharmacy leaders for a national self-care strategy to help ease pressure on the NHS, with an enhanced role for community pharmacists.

Insights from the survey – which takes 10 minutes to complete – will be made available and published worldwide to help ‘support pharmacy teams provide better public health services’, said the FIP.

The survey is available in Arabic, English, French, Portuguese and Spanish and is open until 25 August.

The FIP is a global body representing more than four million pharmacists and pharmaceutical scientists and is a non-governmental organisation which has worked with the World Health Organization since 1948.