Pharmacists play a central role in confirming medication safety across the continuum of care. Their involvement in patient care can minimise errors, improve prescribing practices, and enhance patient monitoring across settings (1).

As one of the foundations of pharmacy practice, pharmacists across a range of practice settings are promoting judicious, safe and effective use of medicines.

To uphold the safe and effective use of medicines, pharmacists may provide medication advice, participate in clinical trials, compound medicines, visit patients in their home or work with other members of a healthcare team to solve medication related issues and increase patient safety.

To ensure medicines are being used safely and effectively, pharmacists are involved in monitoring health outcomes, minimising medicine misuse and empowering patients to manage their medications. Pharmacists in all settings have essential responsibilities that improve patient safety. Ensuring access to medication, supplying medication information, evaluating medication appropriateness, improving medication adherence and medication management all contribute to safe and effective medicines for all.

Pharmacists must maintain an awareness of the cultural needs and contexts of all patients and clients and provide a culturally safe environment to patients to obtain good health outcomes. They must also use their professional judgement to ensure that a medicine is safe and appropriate for a patient.

A "registered pharmacist" is a person registered under the Health Practitioner Regulation National Law to practise in the pharmacy profession (other than as a student) (2).