March is Pharmacy Awareness Month
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are an integral and valued part of a healthcare team. They work closely with patients, physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals to ensure medication is distributed in a safe and effective manner. March marks Pharmacy Awareness Month to show appreciation for the patient care they provide, and to show awareness of the positive impact pharmacists and technicians have in the healthcare system.
Research has shown that pharmacists influence better health outcomes for patients, improved patient safety, and reduced healthcare costs as a part of a healthcare team. As a part of the team, they improve indicators of health, there are fewer medication incidents and hospitalizations, and for every one dollar spent on a pharmacist’s salary, between $4 and $5 in hospital costs are saved or avoided.
Behind the scenes, there are a team of pharmacy technicians hard at work to ensure seamless drug distribution by filling prescriptions, preparing and compounding medications such as TPN (Total Parenteral Nutrition) and patient-specific IVs, performing Medication Reconciliation, and replenishing medication stock to patient care areas. This allows the pharmacist to focus their time on direct patient care and ensures the right medication gets to the patient in a quick and efficient manner.
Pharmacists also support the medication system through managing medication use to help build a system that is safe, effective, and efficient. They provide drug information to others on topics such as current approaches to therapy and clinical alternatives when there are drug shortages.
Hospital pharmacists have a large involvement in medication therapy through ensuring drug therapy decisions are safe and appropriate, changing or recommending drug therapy throughout a patient’s stay, and education for patients by teaching, monitoring, and managing their medication.
Pharmacists and pharmacy technicians are an integral member of the patient’s circle of care and not only help optimize the benefits for the patient, but for the healthcare system as well. With the current changes our professions is undergoing, both patients and other healthcare professionals are often unaware of the expanding scope of pharmacists and technicians and their implications. We hope Pharmacist Awareness Month will help bridge that knowledge gap and help increase public awareness while recognizing some of the outstanding work pharmacists and pharmacy technicians do every day.
-Jessica and Rida, Pharmacy Students, St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton