P&G Health, the health care division of Procter & Gamble, have developed and launched a standardised ‘First Iron Deficiency Diagnosis and Counselling Guide’ for pharmacists in conjunction with Iron Deficiency Day 2021. Developed using the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists (ASHP) Guidelines on Pharmacist-Conducted Patient Education and Counselling, and iron deficiency anaemia (IDA)-specific management considerations, the structured guide will equip pharmacists to better engage and counsel patients with IDA or those suspected to have IDA.

The novel 4-step framework covers essential factors to identify IDA – Establish, Assess, Educate, and Verify. It will allow pharmacists to detect high risk patients as well as make informed decisions with regards to management of the disease including creating awareness and the enacting of necessary steps among patients to improve their own health when dealing with IDA.

The guide will be rolled out progressively worldwide, starting with Southeast Asia and India.

“P&G Health has been committed to awareness and education efforts on iron deficiency anaemia, a condition affecting a large part of our population across Asia,” shared Aalok Agrawal, Senior Vice President, P&G Health – Asia Pacific, India, Middle East, and Africa.

“Iron Deficiency Anaemia inhibits a person’s ability to live life to their fullest potential. With pharmacists being among the first line of contact for patients, they are well positioned in the community to have a significant impact on public health. We realised that the lack of a standardised guide creates the possibility of under-diagnosis, incomplete counsel, or worse. With this ‘First Iron Deficiency Diagnosis and Counselling Guide’ we aim to equip pharmacists with a structured framework to diagnose and counsel for iron deficiency thereby helping empower consumers to live healthier, and more vibrant lives.”

Certain patients with IDA experience symptoms such as frequent tiredness, dizziness, paleness, and impaired immunity, which thus impacts their quality of life, mobility, and productivity. However, many patients also remain asymptomatic. Southeast Asia and Africa continue to report the highest prevalence rates of anaemia, accounting for 85% of global reported cases; but with no existing or consistent guide in place for dealing with IDA, 84% of patients end up being under-diagnosed.

Dr. Catherine Duggan, Chief Executive Officer, International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP), commented, “The FIP vision is for a world where everyone benefits from access to safe, effective, quality and affordable medicines and health technologies, as well as from pharmaceutical care services provided by pharmacists, in collaboration with other healthcare professionals. FIP is happy to see these guidelines being published to support pharmacists in dealing with such an important condition, globally and, in particular across Indonesia, India, and Philippines. We look forward to seeing how these guidelines are used in practice and have contributed to better patient outcomes as a result.”