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What Can Your Pharmacist Do For You?. <<Presenter Name>> <<Presenter’s Title>> <<Presenter’s Work Place>>. Objectives. Learn more about your pharmacist’s role in managing your medications Understand the importance of a strong relationship between you and your pharmacist
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What Can Your Pharmacist Do For You? <<Presenter Name>> <<Presenter’s Title>> <<Presenter’s Work Place>>
Objectives • Learn more about your pharmacist’s role in managing your medications • Understand the importance of a strong relationship between you and your pharmacist • Understand the importance of medication safety programs such as the TakeAway program • Learn about the valuable services provided by your pharmacist, including MTM, immunizations and screenings
Pharmacy School • 2 years of pre-pharmacy coursework or a bachelor’s degree • 4 years of graduate courses at an approved college of pharmacy • Optional trainings • Residency • Ph.D. program • Board certified specialist
Practice Settings • Wide variety, including: • Community pharmacy • Long-term care • Research and development • Hospitals/health systems • Veterinary pharmacy • Managed care • Consultant pharmacy • Public health • Nuclear pharmacy
Responsibilities • Your pharmacist plays an important role in helping to manage your health care by: • Communicating with your physician and health care providers to optimize your medication therapy • Checking your medications to ensure you receive the proper drug and dose for your condition • Ensuring you know how to properly use your medications • Being readily available to answer any questions you have about prescription or over-the-counter medications
Forming a Partnership • In the best interest of your health and safety, it is important to fill all of your prescriptions at the same pharmacy • Your pharmacist will be able to identify interactions between your medications with an accurate and up-to-date list • Frequent interaction with your pharmacist can serve as the foundation of a strong relationship with mutual trust, enabling your pharmacist to provide you with better care
Counseling • Pharmacists in the state of Iowa must offer to provide proper counseling on all new prescriptions to help patients safely use their medications • Counseling information should address • What the medication is supposed to do • When and how you should take your medication • How long you should take your medication • What effects you may experience while taking the medication • Other information pertaining to your medication (e.g., avoiding certain foods or alcohol)
TakeAway Program • Over 475 community pharmacies in Iowa offer the TakeAway medication disposal program • TakeAway accepts unused or expired prescription and over-the-counter medications and properly disposes of them • Cannot accept controlled substances • TakeAway program goals include: • Reducing accidental ingestion of medications • Fighting medication abuse • Decreasing the exposure of medications to the environment and water supply
Medication Therapy Management (MTM) • MTM services help to identify, prevent, and resolve medication therapy problems and provide education • MTM includes many diverse services pharmacists can provide to patients, including: • Comprehensive medication review • Patient medication list/pocket medication card • Patient take-home goals and review points • Follow-up with physicians • The goal of MTM is to help patients achieve optimal outcomes from their medication therapy while decreasing health care costs
Immunizations • Many pharmacists in Iowa are trained and certified to administer vaccinations, which may include: • Flu vaccine • Shingles vaccine • Pneumonia vaccine • Whooping cough vaccine • Travel immunizations
Preventive Screenings • Pharmacists are able to conduct many health screenings, including: • Blood pressure • Cholesterol • Thyroid • Blood glucose/sugar • Bone density • Body fat • Hemoglobin A1c (diabetes) • INR (blood thinners)
Know Your Pharmacist, Know Your Medicine • What is your pharmacist’s name? • How many pharmacies do you use to fill your prescriptions? • What questions do you ask your pharmacist when you pick up your medications? • Has your pharmacist given you a vaccine? • What preventive health services has your pharmacist provided to you? • Do you have a comprehensive list of your medications?
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