Description: Every year in the United States between 5%-20% of the population contracts influenza, leading to more than 200,000 hospitalizations and 36,000 deaths. In 2004, it was estimated that the cost to the United States economy was $20 billion. As the most accessible health care professional in virtually every community in the Untied 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 influenza immunization and vaccination niche.
Description: A key component of controlling asthma is a proper medical management plan and avoiding asthma "triggers." A very important part of this process is the education of patients about their condition, how to prevent asthma attacks, how to handle asthma attacks when they occur, how to use medications and monitoring devices correctly, and the importance of medication adherence. Pharmacists play a vital role in the improvement of patient education, management and outcomes.
This activity discussed up to date treatment guidelines for managing your Asthma patients for better disease control and healthcare outcomes.
Description: Productive front-end employees are not born that way, they are trained. Independent pharmacies rely on their employees to maximize their time spent on the job. Making the best use of the time in each shift contributes to overall profitability. It also is the pivot point between keeping and earning new pharmacy customers or gradually losing customers to the competition.
Northeastern Ohio Universities Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy
Release Date:
06/06/2008
Expiration Date:
06/06/2011
System Requirements:
Mac OS 10.2.8 Safari
Description: Drs. Slawson and Shaughnessy will conduct a hands-on workshop that will teach you how to select and use the best tools to assess drug information for optimal patient care. ACPE Universal Program Number: 479-000-08-015-H04-P These materials were made possible by a grant from the state Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program which is funded by the multi-state settlement of consumer fraud claims regarding the marketing of the prescription drug Neurontin.
Adobe Acrobat Reader Macintosh OS X v 10.2 or higher Internet Explorer 7.0 or greater Safari 4.0 Firefox 3.6 Windows XP SP3 Windows 7
Description: Iron deficiency anemia and anemia of chronic disease are prevalent and serious, and are treated appropriately with IV iron therapy. However, such therapy is underused in patients who have anemia of chronic disease, including those with cancer and other diagnoses—partially due to concern about serious adverse events, which actually are associated only with high-molecular-weight (HMW) iron dextran. Clinicians are unacquainted with important dosing differences among IV iron formulations, and the pharmacoeconomic benefits of IV iron therapy in the context of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents often go unrealized. To close these practice gaps, education in the following areas is needed: the role of IV iron therapy in oncologic and other disease settings; the relative risks and benefits of different IV iron therapies, including HMW and low-molecular-weight iron dextran; the dosing options available with different IV iron formulations; and the pharmacoeconomic advantages of IV iron therapy.
Description: According to the Gallup organization, pharmacists rank third among all professions as being the most trusted by Americans; this rank places pharmacists behind nurses but ahead of medical doctors. Americans rely on pharmacists to assist with their day-to-day healthcare in a very different way from other healthcare professionals. Pharmacists in general are more accessible, more approachable, and more aware of common health concerns within a community and among their patients. As a result, a Harris Interactive poll conducted in 2008 found that 80% of consumers would purchase an over-the-counter (OTC) product if it were recommended by their pharmacist.
Description: The economic burden of cardiovascular disease (CVD), the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the United States, was in excess of $400 billion in 2006. Treatment of dyslipidemia, a significant risk factor for the development of CVD, results in savings of $15,000 to $20,000 per life-year saved based on an average 10-year risk. Although studies have demonstrated a reduction in CVD risk when patients achieve low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)–lowering goals using various statins, there remains a potential for further risk reduction. This persistent risk is attributable, in part, to elevated triglyceride (TG) levels. Triglycerides have been established as an independent predictor of CVD, and reduction of TG levels is associated with improved clinical outcomes. Purified omega-3-acid ethyl esters (P-OM3) (eicosapentaenoic acid/docosahexaenoic acid) represent alternatives to fibrates and nicotinic acid for treating patients with elevated TG. However, most patients with CVD have multiple lipid abnormalities and may require combination therapy. For patients with elevated LDL-C and TG levels, non–high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non–HDL-C), defined as total cholesterol minus HDL-C, may be a better predictor of CVD than LDL-C. Clinical studies, such as the COMBination of prescription Omega-3 with Simvastatin (COMBOS) trial, support the use of statins plus P-OM3 for patients with mixed dyslipidemia. Furthermore, several large clinical trials are under way to assess the role of statins in combination with either a fibrate (ACCORD) or extended-release niacin (AIM-HIGH; HPS2-THRIVE). This activity reviews approaches for assessing CVD risk in patients with elevated TG and non–HDL-C; the pharmacologic properties, efficacy, and cost benefits of therapies for the management of mixed dyslipidemia; and best evidence for developing clinical recommendations designed to optimize the pharmacologic treatment of mixed dyslipidemia. This is particularly important to managed care pharmacists, who are responsible for understanding how current treatment strategies influence outcomes, access, quality, and cost for providers, patients, and health plan payers. ACPE Universal Program Number: 073-999-08-082-H01-P Supported by an educational grant from GlaxoSmithKline.
Description: According to a national survey from 2002, low back pain was identified as the fifth most common reason for all physician visits in the United States and is reported to affect about 6 percent of American adults each day.
Description: Insomnia is the most common sleep complaint among Americans. Poor sleep quality and quantity can impact daytime functioning, and these effects extend beyond the patient. Work and personal obligations may suffer when sleep is disrupted. According to the 2008 Sleep In America Poll, 65 percent of the survey respondents reported having sleep problems at least a few nights a week within the past month, with 44 percent having problems every night or almost every night. When counseling patients, it should be explained that medications are only effective for a short time frame and overuse can actually make the insomnia worsen. Pharmacists should review some of the common and unique side effects associated with their insomnia prescription therapy. Also, pharmacists are in the unique position to help educate patients regarding the appropriateness of therapy with non prescription agents.
Description: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is the most common systemic inflammatory disease, affecting 0.5 percent to 1 percent of the general population. RA treatment has varied, but is focused largely on modifying disease progression with immunosuppressive agents that decrease the inflammatory effects, and prevent further joint damage. No matter what therapy is started, it is important for pharmacists to be aware of the available treatment options and the adverse effects of each therapy to more effectively counsel their patients and answer their questions.
9/10 | Votes: 82 | 
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