By Prof Dr Gan Siew Hua
Prof Dr Gan Siew Hua is the Dean of the Faculty of Pharmacy, University of Cyberjaya.
We are flooded with health information.
With a few taps, anyone can find drug uses, side effects, and dangers. Search engines, social media, influencers, and AI place a world of health advice in everyone’s pocket.
Nevertheless, an important distinction exists between having easy access to information and making sense of it.
But more information doesn’t mean smarter choices. Only expert guidance can turn information into safe action.
This is where pharmacists play an increasingly important role.
Pharmacy is not simply about learning the names and properties of medicines. It is far beyond memorising medicines. It sits at the intersection of science, healthcare, technology and human interaction.
When information becomes advice
Seeking health information online can be positive. The difficulty arises when general information becomes personalised advice.
A product may be promoted as effective for a particular condition. An influencer may recommend a medicine or supplement based on personal experience, and followers may interpret testimonials as evidence. Recent Ministry of Health (MOH) warnings over unregistered products marketed online also highlight the risks consumers can face.
But the issue extends beyond unregistered products.
Even the right information can be the wrong advice for the wrong person. The real questions: Is it true? Does it fit me? What does it mean for my health?
That distinction is central to the pharmacist’s role.
From information to informed decisions
Medicines are never one-size-fits-all. Age, health, genetics, and a dozen other factors can turn a treatment into a risk.
Pharmacists add value by interpreting scientific knowledge for each patient’s unique situation.
Patients arrive with Google results and hear-say. Pharmacists don’t dismiss – they empower, teaching people to ask: Is this source credible? Does this apply to me? What risks hide beneath the headlines?
We should not compete with the internet for information. We should be helping people understand how to evaluate and use that information responsibly.
This is also where medication literacy matters.
Medication literacy means knowing when to ask, how to act, and why it matters – not merely memorising drug names.
The pharmacist as a “translator of science”
Pharmaceutical science is a foreign language to most. Terms like ‘active ingredient’ or ‘interaction’ can decide life or death yet confuse many patients.
A pharmacist must bridge that gap
A skilled pharmacist translates science into simple, actionable, trustworthy advice. This skill saves lives in a world drowning in information.
This takes more than words: pharmacists must master science, see what matters most to each patient, and explain it with precision and empathy, adding a human touch.
Pharmacy students must see themselves as guides through a maze of information, ready to turn confusion into confident, healthy choices.
We shape pharmacy graduates to do more than recite facts – they become critical thinkers and clear communicators who make a real difference for real people. That’s our mission at the University of Cyberjaya.
They will also need to understand how technology shapes how patients consume information, and how to address misinformation without undermining a patient’s confidence or dignity.
The pharmacist of tomorrow will need to be as comfortable discussing a medicine with a patient as they are evaluating the evidence behind it. That combination of scientific knowledge, professional judgement and human communication is what makes the profession so valuable.
For students considering Pharmacy as a career, this is an important part of understanding what the profession entails.
Pharmacy education must forge both knowledge and wisdom, so graduates can lead patients safely through today’s information jungle.
Ultimately, pharmacists’ value is not exclusive access to information. In other words, pharmacists aren’t mere gatekeepers; they are guides to the public.
Their value lies in helping patients make sense of information, fostering trust and confidence in their healthcare decisions – something that is crucial in an age of abundant information.
When health advice is everywhere, the pharmacist’s role is not diminished by that abundance. It becomes more important – because someone still needs to help people distinguish information from understanding and understanding from sound healthcare decisions.
* The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent the views of YamChaTime.
