Five Things You Might Not Know About Your Pharmacist and/or Pharmacy

At UIC Pharmacy we want to keep you informed. What you do not know about your pharmacist or pharmacy could have a negative impact on your health. It is well known that pharmacists are one of the most trusted health care professionals in the United States; however, there are many misconceptions regarding the role of the pharmacist and the operations of the pharmacy.¹ In this post, we will discuss 5 things you might not know about your pharmacist and/or pharmacy that could help optimize your health care.

1.     Pharmacists are the drug experts, utilize their expertise!

·       In a survey conducted by the American Pharmacists Association (APhA), only 40% of patients utilized pharmacists as a source for information on health care needs.² It is important to keep in mind that pharmacists are easily accessible and they are trained to counsel patients on medication utilization and safety.

2.     Get to know your pharmacist by name.

Pharmacists can help optimize your health

 ·       Developing a patient-provider relationship with your pharmacist can have a bigger impact on your health care than you think.  In a survey by APhA, 77% of patients do not know their pharmacist by name.³ Those who knew their pharmacist’s name were more likely to talk to their pharmacist about other drugs they were taking, consult the pharmacist about prescription and over-the-counter (OTC) medications, know the active drug in their medications, and read product labels.  It is also recommended that you use the same pharmacy to fill all your prescriptions so that the pharmacist can have an accurate history of your current and past medications to check for drug interactions.⁴ These are small steps you can take to increase medication safety and improve health outcomes.

 3.     Pharmacy drive-throughs are convenient, but they are also potentially dangerous.

 ·       Pharmacy drive-throughs can help stream-line medication dispensing, but you are picking up your medicines, not fast food.⁵ In a study on the impact of pharmacy design and layout, surveyed pharmacists working in locations with drive-throughs generally agreed that drive-throughs create distractions that can decrease efficiency and increase dispensing errors.⁶ Consumers using the drive-through pharmacy service trade face-to-face interaction with a health care provider for convenience.  This interaction is necessary for proper patient counseling.

4.     Why does placing pills in a bottle take at least 15 minutes?

 ·       Filling a prescription correctly is not as easy as it seems.  There are many steps involved in processing a prescription to ensure that you are getting the right medication, and that this medication will be safe and effective.⁷ When a prescription is received at the pharmacy, it must be entered into the computer system, submitted to the insurance company for payment, filled, and correctly verified.  During this process, the pharmacist will check for drug interactions, allergies, and make sure this medicine is prescribed for the correct reason and at the correct dose.  Keep in mind that all of this occurs in the midst of phone calls, faxes, patient counseling, and other customers filling or picking up their medications as well.  A study by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality showed that pharmacists played the largest role in preventing medication errors from reaching the patient.⁸ In this study, interventions by pharmacists accounted for 40% of errors prevented, while 19% and 17% were caught by physicians and patients, respectively.

 5.     Your pharmacy is not just for filling your prescriptions.

 ·       Many pharmacies are now offering clinical services in addition to dispensing medications.  These services include immunizations, disease state management programs, health screenings, and medication therapy management.⁹ There have been many studies done on the implementation of disease state management programs in community pharmacies.^10,11 These studies have shown that pharmacists have a positive impact on the management of chronic disease states such as diabetes and high cholesterol.  These programs resulted in improved patient self-care and increased knowledge of disease states.

Now that you know more about your pharmacist and pharmacy, speak to your pharmacist about how to improve your therapy and health in general.  The Institute of Medicine recommends that patients take an active role in their health care to prevent complications associated with medications.¹² Your pharmacist is there to help you!

 References

 1.     Schweers, K. Pharmacists score big in gallup poll-again. The Dose. http://ncpanet.wordpress.com/2009/12/10/pharmacists-score-big-in-gallup-poll-%E2%80%93-again/. Published December 10, 2009. Accessed August 11, 2011.

2.     American Pharmacists Association. Survey reveals most customers do not carry a medication list. http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=News_Releases2&Template=/CM/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=21152. Published October 1, 2009. Accessed August 11, 2011.

 3.     Consumermedsafety.org. Know your pharmacist…know your medicine.  http://www.consumermedsafety.org/article.asp?id=66. Published January 2006. Accessed August 11, 2011.

4.     MedlinePlus. Getting a prescription filled.  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001956.htm. Updated August 2, 2011. Accessed August 11, 2011.

5.     Abcnews.com. Experts: consumers can protect themselves against pharmacy errors.  http://blogs.abcnews.com/theblotter/2007/04/experts_consume.html. Published April 2, 2011. Accessed August 11, 2011.

 6.     Caldwel E. Survey suggests pharmacies’ drive-through dispensing puts public at risk. Medical News Today. http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/94865.php. Published January 23, 2008. Accessed August 11, 2011.

 7.     Schneider, M. Waiting in the pharmacy:  when patients don’t have patience. Consumer Health Information Corporation. http://www.consumer-health.com/services/WaitinginthePharmacyWhenPatientsDontHavePatience.php. Published 2008. Accessed August 11, 2011.

8.     Sweeny JF. Study:  pharmacists most likely to catch medication errors. Modern Medicine.  http://www.modernmedicine.com/modernmedicine/Clinical+News/Study-Pharmacists-most-likely-to-catch-medication-/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/585783. Published March 9, 2009. Accessed August 11, 2011.

 9.     American Pharmacists Association. You and your pharmacist partners in managing medications. http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Consumers1. Updated 2011. Accessed August 11, 2011.

 10.  Mehuys E, Van Bortel L, De Bolle L, et al. Effectiveness of a community pharmacist intervention in diabetes care: a randomized controlled trial. J Clin Pharm Ther. 2010; doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2710.2010.01218.x.

 11.  Yamada C, Johnson JA, Robertson P, Pearson G, Tsuyuki RT. Long-term impact of a community pharmacist intervention on cholesterol levels in patients at high risk for cardiovascular events: extended follow-up of the second study of cardiovascular risk intervention by pharmacists (SCRIP-plus). Pharmacotherapy. 2005;25(1):110-115.

 12.  American Pharmacists Association. Pharmacists providing medication-related care in all patient care settings, improving medication use and enhancing patients’ lives. http://www.pharmacist.com/AM/Template.cfm?Section=Insurers_Benefits&Template=/TaggedPage/TaggedPageDisplay.cfm&TPLID=135&ContentID=22584. Updated 2011. Accessed August 11, 2011.

By: Lilly Nguyen, PharmD Candidate 2012