Pharmacists Do So Much More Than You Think

Effective healthcare has evolved beyond a doctor-patient relationship. Patients today depend on different medical providers at various points in the wellness journey. Today, over 300,000 pharmacists play a crucial role in a patient’s well-being. However, there continue to be misconceptions about the abilities of these experts. Many still believe pharmacists are just people in white coats who write prescriptions. Yet, these medicine masters can do so much more for patients.

Pharmacists keep track of your medication

Pharmacists spend several years learning about drugs and how each behaves with the body. These experts are also aware of how drugs behave with food, certain medical conditions, and much more. Hospital and community pharmacists, in particular, help patients keep track of medication. This simple service becomes crucial for medical adherence. Non-adherence is the cause of over 125,000 deaths every year, so by tracking medication, pharmacists save lives.

Pharmacists can adjust prescriptions

Doctors write prescriptions for pain or disease management. Pharmacists provide the right drugs based on a wealth of knowledge. The pharmacist can consult with the doctor to provide the best medicines available. Adjusting the treatment can help with unwanted side effects, allergies, or avoid drug interactions.

They can review your current prescriptions

Sometimes, a pharmacist will ask a patient to bring all medicines for a medication review. Medication reviews are a special service provided by pharmacists to assess a patient’s current medications. The patient will bring all supplements and prescriptions to the pharmacist. The pharmacist can then find drug interactions or no longer needed, expired, or discontinued medicines. Medication reviews are an excellent way to stay on track with treatments safely.

Intervene, recommend, and follow up when necessary

Taking prescriptions, insulin shots, or other forms of medicines could be difficult. Some patients become frustrated with the instructions, and others could disregard prescriptions completely. A pharmacy can intervene and counsel patients on proper medication use. If there’s a particular challenge, pharmacists also make recommendations and follow up with the patient.

They can prescribe medication in some instances

Do patients always need a doctor to write a prescription? Unfortunately, that’s not always the case. In some cases, a pharmacist can prescribe or adjust medication. For example, if the patient has a condition that has returned, the pharmacist can prescribe medication again. There are other times where a diagnosis is not required. The pharmacist, at this point, can assess and provide the best drug for the concern. This simple step can save patients time and money.

Formulate special medication with compounding

Some pharmacists can create custom medication using compounding. Some patients cannot take the standard medication made by major pharmaceuticals. The reasons could range from side effects, allergies, difficulty swallowing, or simple availability. The pharmacist takes raw ingredients or different drugs and creates a topical, liquid, or capsule.

Provide basic health care services

Today’s pharmacists can also provide a range of simple health services. For instance, some can provide and update flu vaccines and other vital shots. A pharmacist can also perform blood sugar tests, cholesterol tests, and many others for chronic disease management. If necessary, the pharmacist can also request blood tests. These tests can be checked with the doctor to develop a new medication plan.

Trust your healthcare provider

A pharmacist is a crucial part of healthcare. These experts can sometimes interact with patients and assist with disease management. Medication is often hard to understand and even more challenging to take consistently. The pharmacist can counsel, recommend, change, and even formulate new medicines. Having an expert like this readily available could be a gamechanger.