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6 Questions You Should Ask Your Pharmacist
By Dr. Sanjay Gupta 167SHARES
Filling prescriptions is just one of the services the drugstore offers.
Terry Vine/Corbis
The local pharmacist can be a key member of your healthcare team.
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A survey of 5,200 licensed pharmacists in the United States found that less than half their working time was spent filling prescriptions. Six out of 10 pharmacists provide medication therapy management (MTM) which, as defined by the American Pharmacists Association, includes “medication therapy reviews, pharmacotherapy consults, anticoagulation management, immunizations, health and wellness programs, and many other clinical services.”
Easier, More Frequent Access
The 2014 National Pharmacist Workforce Survey shows that patients have greater access to these pharmacist-led services in various healthcare settings. Nearly half of pharmacists at chain drugstores and 57 percent of pharmacists in supermarket-based locations reported offering health screenings and immunizations.“Patients on average see pharmacists three to 10 times as frequently as they see doctors,” says Brad Tice, PharmD, product leader for medication therapy management at Cardinal Health, a Dublin, Ohio-based healthcare services company. “So this dialogue between a pharmacist and a patient can be especially important for a patient’s overall healthcare.”Yen Pham, RPh, director of pharmacy services at OHSU, agrees. “Quite often, we are the most accessible healthcare provider for patients,” Pham says.
Helping Patient Adherence
Pharmacists can play a pivotal role in patients’ adherence to treatment and medication guidelines, as shown in a study published April 14 in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).Researchers found that patients with atrial fibrillation who were prescribed a new type of blood thinner were more likely to take the medication correctly and not miss doses when a pharmacist was closely involved in their care. The study specifically points to the benefits of “pharmacist-driven patient education” and “pharmacist-led adverse event and adherence monitoring.”RELATED: OTC Drug Dangers You Should Know AboutPharmacists in the study offered “a high level of scrutiny and review to make sure patients were getting the drugs,” says study co-author Mintu Turakhia, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine, in a statement. “There was a lot of consideration of the dose, interaction with chronic kidney disease, and review to make sure that patients should be getting these drugs.”
Come Prepared
Whether you’re seeing the pharmacist about a new prescription or a refill, prepare your questions in advance. Here are some suggestions:Is there a generic version of the prescribed drug? A pharmacist can advise you if there is a generic option that is less expensive than a brand-name drug. “The key difference between generic and brand-name drugs is cost,” Pham says. “Generic medications have the same active ingredient as the brand name.” Not all generics are alike, however. As Pham points out, “some of the ‘fillers’ [inactive ingredients] may be different, and patients may prefer one brand over the other based on those.” In some cases, a generic substitute may not be available.Are there major side effects or special instructions? Your doctor likely won’t go over every side effect when giving you a prescription, and the printed information about contraindications and side effects that comes with medication can be overwhelming. “They’ll list all these side effects, but there’s nothing that says how relevant they are to a particular patient and the other illnesses they have or medications they’re taking,” Dr. Fields says. Pham suggests asking the pharmacist specifically if there are any special instructions when taking medication, such as “take with or without food [or] stay out of the sun...”What if I miss a dose? Accidentally missing a dose of medication is not unusual, and it’s not always cause for concern. But it’s important to know how you should handle the situation, should it happen.How should I store my medication? Most medications should be kept in a dry area at room temperature, while others require refrigeration. Talk to the pharmacist about how to store drugs, as well as how to properly dispose of unused medications.Ask for a medication review. If you’re taking several drugs,Tice suggestsasking the pharmacist to help you draw up a schedule to maximize their effectiveness and avoid interactions.Should I see a doctor? Even if you’re not having a prescription filled, you may want to consult the pharmacist about a condition you’re treating with over-the-counter medications. “[The pharmacist] can ask specific questions like where is the condition, what does it feel like, how long has this been happening, and what medications have you tried,” Pham says. “Pharmacists are a good resource to ask about common sense medical care.” Working with your primary doctor and other healthcare specialists, the pharmacist can play a central role in “a system of care where [providers] have mutual and distinct responsibilities” in your treatment, Fields says.Last Updated: 6/9/2015167SHARES
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