Pharmacy Future

What to do, the case of the unhappy pharmacist

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I read an article today at the CEO Blog of the American Pharmacists Association (APhA) that talks about the predicament of the retail/community pharmacist.

According to the post “Pharmacists feel it when they’re asked to fill hundreds of prescriptions per shift, provide immunizations on demand, make outbound calls to promote adherence with patients and to do so with less technician help because management just saw another big contract pricing level get cut. And pharmacists are feeling less respected as the supply of pharmacists has increased and employers find positions are easier to fill.”

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Don’t dismiss the value of an operationally sound pharmacist

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As pharmacists begin to move out of the physical pharmacy to the patient bedside I think it will become important not to forget the value of a pharmacist that is well versed in how to handle the operational side of pharmacy. Don’t get me wrong, I think pharmacists should be used more for therapeutics than … Read more

Requirements for a pharmacy informatics professional

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In a post from ASHP Midyear I mention that “pharmacists are highly educated clinicians that deserve to practice informatics at that same level. [They] should be the individual involved in making sure that systems are designed to include pharmacy workflow, that the reports being written provide the necessary information to be clinically relevant, that current clinical standards are adhered to during implementation of new systems, be the representative at the table during discussions of integration and interoperability of hospital systems, etc”

A couple of things caught my eye since writing those words and I would like to share them with you here.

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Using technology to advance pharmacy practice through education

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funny_tech_cartoonI found an interesting article in the October issue of the American Journal of Health-System Pharmacy. The article, titled Informatics in clinical instruction (Am J Health Syst Pharm. 2009 Oct 1;66(19):1694, 1699), gives a description of a software system designed by the authors that “allows students at one site to receive online and teleconference instruction from preceptors at multiple sites through remote, interactive discussion. It also allows “blogging” based on assigned videotapes, simulation modules, live patient cases, discussion questions, and primary literature review. In addition, the system facilitates clinical encounter documentation, including interviewing patients, taking physical assessments (e.g., blood pressure), taking medication histories, assessing for adverse effects (e.g., abnormal involuntary movements), and addressing potential or actual medication-related problems(MRPs).”

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Mac tablet coming soon?

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9to5mac.com: “The translations are a little sketchy but the ChinaTimes is basically saying that in October, Apple will launch a $800, 10-inch tablet.   Most of this information has been published before so it isn’t certain whether or not this is a rehash of that information or from new sources.  The biggest question at this point … Read more