Description: The community pharmacist is the last "gatekeeper" in the chain of drug distribution to the patient. Know the signs to look for to identify counterfeits and keep them out of your inventory and away from your patients. This program will help pharmacists initiate strategies to prevent counterfeit drugs from reaching the patient.
Description: Every year in the United States between 5%-20% of the population contracts influenza, leading 36,000 deaths, 60,000 Americans die from Pneumonia, there are one million cases of Shingles and 6.2 million new cases of Human Papillomavirus. In 2004, it was estimated that the cost to the United States economy of influenza alone was $20 billion. As the most accessible health care professional in virtually every community in the United States, the community pharmacist is the ideally positioned to address this public health need by offering adult vaccinations and immunizations in the pharmacy and other community settings. Through a variety of practice designs, including participation with a visiting nurse, in-store clinics for vaccination/immunization or collaborative practice agreements, the community pharmacist combines accessibility with an in-depth knowledge of patients, their health care and the local community. A small, but growing number of community pharmacies have established successful niches in immunization, creating a template of preparation, marketing, operation and follow-up. This education program will give the community pharmacist a set of take-home tools to launch a successful immunization and vaccination niche.
Description: The management paradigm for multiple sclerosis (MS) continues to evolve and is shifting toward earlier diagnosis, differentiation of patients with varying clinical prognoses, and earlier initiation of treatment in selected individuals. A number of novel therapies for patients with MS are in late stages of clinical development, including several oral medications that are of particular interest to managed care pharmacists. These will provide potentially attractive treatment alternatives for patients with MS, who currently must choose from a selection of injectable drugs. This supplement was sponsored by PRIME through an independent educational grant from Teva Neuroscience.
Description: In the spring of 2007, the television news program 20/20 explored how often patients receive patient counseling when obtaining prescribed medications. The segment included clips of undercover shoppers filling prescriptions and interacting with pharmacy staff, revealing that pharmacists did not routinely provide medication counseling to patients. Similarly, another study utilizing under cover shoppers filling prescription at pharmacies in eight states showed that pharmacists discussed one or more informational topics—such as drug name, type of medication, or directions—with only 63 percent of patients. This article discusses why pharmacists have professional and legal obligations to educate patients about drug therapy.
Description: This activity will walk you through how to position your pharmacy in this niche and the business opportunities for your practice. It will help you identify your place in this niche and will bring you the unique perspectives of your pharmacy colleagues.
Description: The future of pharmacy cannot be in the prescription business alone. Opportunities that you may have overlooked in the past may now need to be reevaluated given our current pharmacy climate. Recent advances in the areas of pharmacist immunization and medication therapy management (MTM) have created a better advantage and opened the door for the adoption of pharmacy professional services. However, the onus remains on the community pharmacy owner to embrace these opportunities for business survival.
Description: Postoperative pain is a significant concern for patients undergoing inpatient or outpatient surgery. Despite the availability of a variety of pain medications and multiple means of providing analgesia—continuous epidural analgesia, single injection and continuous peripheral blocks, and intravenous (IV) patient-controlled analgesia (PCA)—evidence continues to point to suboptimal pain management in the postoperative setting. For the 45 million inpatient and 57 million outpatient medical procedures performed in the United States each year, physicians are challenged to provide safe and effective analgesia to patients in the perioperative setting.
Description: Epilepsy is chronic disorder characterized by a dysfunction in electrical brain activity causing recurrent unprovoked seizures. It can present due to a variety of etiologies, including infections, head trauma, and metabolic disorders as well as genetic abnormalities. Seizures types and severity can vary from patient to patient. Epilepsy not only affects patients’ neurobiologic and cognitive functions, but also the psychological and social aspects of the patient, their families, and caregivers. In children, epilepsy not only affects the child, but the entire family and those associated with that child including teachers and friends. Management of epilepsy has evolved with the introduction of new medications, but it is important for pharmacists to understand the risks and benefits of these drugs.
Description: Chronic non-healing wounds are a serious health concern for an estimated four million people each year in the U.S. They are increasingly common in our aging population and affect 14%-23% of patients, depending on the healthcare setting. Associated costs exceed 10 billion dollars annually and are responsible for significant human suffering and even loss of life. Individuals at risk include older adults who live with chronic illness, malnutrition, and limited mobility; those with compromised vascular/neuropathic status and virtually anyone who is recovering from major trauma, surgical insult or catastrophic medical illness. Diabetic foot ulcers are a leading cause of morbidity and hospitalization among patients with diabetes. These wounds frequently are associated with limb loss and are clinically challenging to treat. Healthcare professionals are increasingly involved with and caring for individuals affected by non-intact skin complicated by these types of underlying pathology that lead to ulceration, infection or both. Nurses and pharmacists are among those healthcare professionals who need access to current care guidelines, product and educational information that promote prevention, enhance early recognition, and demonstrate effective treatment so as to offer an integrated approach to provide the patient with a wound the best possible outcome.
Description: Examining the Options for Insulin Delivery is a knowledge-based CE activity that helps participants identify the benefits of insulin therapy for glycemic control and the role of insulin therapy in reducing long-term complications. The course will review the issues surrounding insulin use for the treatment of diabetes. It will describe the advantages and disadvantages of currently available insulin delivery systems. Participants will learn to apply the information presented in this activity to guide the selection of a patient’s insulin delivery device.
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