You Need All The Help You Can Get

Chronic diseases are becoming more and more commonplace. Statistics estimate that 6 in 10 Americans suffer from a chronic illness. As Americans get older, 4 in 10 end up with more than one. Chronic diseases include diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, Alzheimer’s, and much more. Mismanagement of these conditions often leads to more severe symptoms and a shortened lifespan. The medical field often implements chronic condition management to better address these issues. Pharmacists play an essential role in educating patients on proper medical care.

What is chronic condition management?

Chronic disease means that the condition is not going away soon, so the treatment should match this fact. Chronic condition management does just that. This is a series of checkups, monitoring, medication management, and education. Together, these help keep patients informed and healthy. Chronic condition management is crucial if a patient has multiple diseases. The strategy also helps patients understand how these diseases impact each other and keep the cost of treatment as low as possible.

Where pharmacists come in

Healthcare sectors can no longer operate in silos to better deal with chronic conditions. The pharmacist now plays an integral part in disease management. Pharmacists are subject matter experts in the form of medicine. Each understands how medications interact and the best drugs to deal with symptoms. Once the patient leaves the hospital or doctor’s care, consultation with a pharmacist is a good start.

Building a great rapport

Having one or more consultations with a pharmacist is necessary for chronic condition management. The patient can build a solid rapport, especially with a community pharmacist. The relationship means the patient will be more willing to take health advice from the pharmacist. Upon dispensing medication, the pharmacist can educate the patient on proper use, side effects, and interactions with other substances.

Make things easier with compounding

Dealing with multiple medications is one of the biggest challenges of chronic diseases. The stress of keeping up with prescriptions, proper directions, and busy lives can increase non-compliance. To fix this, pharmacists can recommend compounding during consultations. With compounding, the pharmacist can combine multiple prescriptions in an easy-to-use form. This simple step can significantly improve the ability to manage chronic diseases.

Working together for better disease management

Doctors, nurses, therapists, and pharmacists form a strong medication management team. Pharmacists, in particular, can provide patients with solid advice on taking prescriptions, side effects and managing drugs. With the right information, patients can even save money on prescriptions. The goal is to minimize the impact of diseases to achieve a better quality of life.