Partners in Crime: Your Pharmacist

Sarah A. Spinler, PharmD, FCCP,FAHA, FASHP, BCPS (AQ Cardiology)

Professor of Clinical PharmacyPhiladelphia College of Pharmacy

University of the Sciencess.spinle@usp.edu

Objectives What patients should expect from their

pharmacist, physician, nurse practitioner regarding education on medications

Importance of maintaining accurate list of medications and purpose

Importance of adherence and that it is a partnership between healthcare provider and patient

Education About Medications

Healthcare providers should provide Written and verbal instructions

Generic names of all prescription and nonprescription medications

Dose, Frequency, Side Effects Purpose of each medication Whether or not any monitoring is needed

Kidney function blood test, potassium blood levels, drug blood levels

For warfarin (Coumadin) Schedule of next INR and name of provider that will

follow INR result

Education About Medications

Healthcare providers should provide Importance of adherence

Discuss and remove barriers Assessment of access to prescriptions

Facilitate affordable access Assessment of instruction comprehension

Reading level Hearing Ability to access and use internet

Education About Medications Patients should

Keep a list of questions and ask them! Keep a list of medications, over-the-counter

(OTC) medications, supplements and herbals Share information about allergies and

intolerances Ask your healthcare provider before taking any

new OTC medications, herbals or supplements Ask your provider to write the purpose of the

medication on the prescription

Questions to Ask About Your Medications: “Educate before you medicate”

What is the medications name and how do I take it? Why did you chose this medication for me? What are the side effects that I should look out for

and how can they be prevented? How can they be detected early?

Are there any monitoring tests? Can you review my medication list and see if there

are any that are unnecessary? Get a “Medications Check-up” at least once a year

Can I stop this medication if I start to feel better? Do you have the ability to e-prescribe?

Communicate the prescription electronically to the pharmacy

Are there lower cost alternatives that may be right for me?

Sources: National Council on Patient Information and Education, Food and Drug Administration’s Tips for Taking Medicines

CardioSmart.org

Adult “MEDUCATION” Tools

From the American Society of Consultant Pharmacists and the American Society on Aging

http://www.adultmeducation.com/ConsumerInformation.html

Continued…..

“MEDUCATION” Helpful Forms

American Pharmacists Association: Personal Medication Record (PMR)pharmacist.com

Heart Insight MagazineAmerican Heart Association

http://journals.lww.com/heartinsight/pages/default.aspx

Your Personal Medication Record

Your name Your birth date Your phone number Emergency contact information (Name, relationship, phone number) Primary care physician (Name and phone number) Pharmacy/pharmacist (Name and phone number) Allergies (e.g., What allergies do I have? What happened when I had

the allergy or reaction?) Other medication-related problems (e.g., What medication caused

the problem? What was the problem I had?) Potential questions for patients to ask about their medications (e.g.,

When you are prescribed a new drug, ask your doctor or pharmacist...)

Date last updated Date last reviewed by the pharmacist, physician, or other health care

professional Your signature Healthcare provider’s signature

American Heart Association

Using Medicines Safely: FDA

Using Medications Safely

Institute for Safe Medication Practices (ISMP)

Educational Materials for Older Adults

Importance of Medication Adherence About 50% of prescriptions are not

taken correctly Up to 1/3 of prescriptions are never

filled 10% of hospital admissions are

caused by medication nonadherence 125,000 deaths annually Annual costs $290,000,000,000

It’s a “Team” Effort

Meducation.com

Let your healthcare provider know Visual problems

Eyesight Color

Hearing Dexterity Memory (involve a caregiver) Swallowing Others

Getting to the pharmacy for refills Affording your medications

RxAssist.org

Discounted Prescriptions What’s good

Walmart $4/month or $10/90 days K-Mart $10-$15/90 days Target $4/month

Protect yourself! Keep your medication record and share with

pharmacist if not using the same pharmacy! The lists change!

Sometimes you can change too! Ask!

Quick List www.Pharmacist.com

Look under American Pharmacists Month www.CardioSmart.org www.LearnAboutRxSafety.org www.adultmeducation.com http://journals.lww.com/heartinsight www.heart360.org http://www.fda.gov/Drugs/ResourcesForYou/Consum

ers/default.htm www.NeedyMeds.org www.mypillbox.org

Let’s Work Together