Pharmacy needs to be recognised for the impact it has. Public health activity is no different, but it can be difficult to measure. 

Public health outcomes are often described in formal research in terms of population changes, or by following individuals over a period of time in a longitudinal study. These are both out of reach for a pharmacy. Instead we should use some process measures to demonstrate our activity. These might include:

• Numbers of people screened 
• Referrals made 
• Leaflets taken
• Queries received
• Scratch cards used.

Successful public health campaigns don’t just happen; they take planning and organisation to be effective. As community pharmacy moves into a new era in which a public health role is increasingly important, we need to be rigorous in the design and evaluation of our campaigns.