Empowering patient self-care improves health outcomes and reduces the burden of diseases. Improving health and self-care literacy is key to empowering pharmacy-based self-care. This is especially important when it comes to the management of minor ailments through pharmacy. Consisting of a series of five events focusing on common health issues, this new FIP digital programme aims to examine how pharmacists can be enabled to improve health and self-care literacy. Approaches for each of the five areas of minor ailments will be discussed including embedding health and self-care literacy into education and training, developing self-diagnosis and self-medication protocols, widening access to patient information, and improving referral strategies.

According to WHO, individuals spend less than 1h a year with a health worker versus over 8700h a year in self-care. Self-care interventions promote individuals’ active participation in their own healthcare. To support them on this journey, pharmacists are equipped with knowledge and skills to better their self-determination, self-efficacy, autonomy, and engagement in health.

This digital event is designed as a collection of three CPB Bites to equip early career pharmacists with essential self-care knowledge in the context of reflux management, irritable bowel syndrome, and respiratory symptoms (including sore throat). Issues around gender biases in patient interactions and during treatment will be highlighted.

Overall Aim:
To support pharmacists to play a proactive role in respiratory management of the health impact of indoor air pollution by helping to address their practice and education needs to enable them provide better patient advice and self-care.

Learning objectives:
• Identify the sources of indoor air pollution and its increasing threat to health
• Understand the short- and long-term impact of indoor air pollution particularly on children
• Understand clinical, pharmacological, and non-pharmacological treatments including self-care measures to minimize the impact of air pollution on respiratory health
• Illustrate how advocacy can impact behavior change to support adoption of better self-care practices aimed at reducing health impact of air pollution.

Moderator:
- Lina Bader, FIP Lead for Equity, sustainability policy and development International Pharmaceutical Federation, Saudi Arabia

Facilitator:
- Nour Eltahla, FIP Projects Coordinator for Equity, sustainability policy and development International Pharmaceutical Federation, Saudi Arabia

Panelists:
- Lidia Morawska, Director International Laboratory for Air Quality and Health (WHO CC for Air Quality and Health), Queensland University of Technology, Australia
- Gary WK Wong, Professor and honorary consultant, Department of Paediatrics, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
- Tyler Knowlton, Director of Communications, Communities, and Partnerships Plume Labs, France

There is an evolving role for community pharmacists, not only in reactive respiratory illness, but also in supporting proactive individual and community respiratory wellness. However, what needs to change in terms of policy and regulation for these roles to become part of mainstream pharmacy practice? This symposium marks the 2021 United Nations' International Day of Clean Air for Blue Skies, by addressing the drivers and barriers for the full deployment of these services, and discuss the key points of the FIP call to action on this global health priority.

Health systems and health care professionals are called upon to address and mitigate the impact of air pollution on people’s health and quality of life. This webinar provides examples of services that pharmacists can deliver to support better breathing.