What Can Your Pharmacist Do For

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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

Objectives

The Pharmacist’s Role

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

Pharmacy School

Wide variety, including:

◦ Community pharmacy◦ Long-term care◦ Research and development◦ Hospitals/health systems◦ Veterinary pharmacy◦ Managed care◦ Consultant pharmacy◦ Public health◦ Nuclear pharmacy

Practice Settings

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

Responsibilities

Pharmacist-Patient Relationship

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

Forming a Partnership

Medication Safety

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)

Counseling

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

TakeAway Program

Pharmacist-Provided Services

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

Medication Therapy Management (MTM)

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

Immunizations

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)

Preventive Screenings

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?

Know Your Pharmacist, Know Your Medicine

Questions

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