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The field of pharmacy is not just about dispensing pills and tablets. Today, many pharmacies include patient consultation areas with blood pressure monitors and health education materials. The drug store of yesterday has virtually become a mini-clinic.
According to the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy, laws in 43 states allow pharmacists some degree of autonomy in prescribing drugs or changing dosing regimens. Now that they are more directly involved in patient care, pharmacists are paving the way to be reimbursed for cognitive services like other practitioners.
Is this advanced pharmacy practice giving too much authority to pharmacists, or is it an efficient way to improve patient care and compliance with drug therapy?
What should be the role of pharmacists in the management of patients with diabetes and other chronic diseases?
I run a diabetes clinic, so my role as a pharmacist is very nontraditional. But it's really great because we have more direct patient interaction. We can prescribe now, and can get involved in disease state management services.
With the new clinical training they're offering at pharmacy schools, I think pharmacists definitely have a new role in the improved management of disease states and making sure patients have appropriate interventions, especially if they're on a lot of medications.
It improves patient care and provides very comprehensive services [and] a lot of patient education. We're very accessible for patients who come in with questions. We're not getting reimbursed for our services, but we're working on that.
Sandra Leal, PharmD, CDE Pharmacist/Diabetes Educator Tucson, Ariz.
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I've been trying for 35 years to get pharmacists who are quite well-trained medically to get more involved in improving the outcomes of care of patients, especially those with chronic diseases. We should do more than "count and pour."
As the U.S. population is aging, people are using more and more drugs. The demand for pharmacists is higher than it's ever been. Much of the repetitive work can be done by well-trained pharmacy technicians, freeing the pharmacists to help patients get better care.
One of the fastest-growing groups of diabetes educators is pharmacists. There are lots of activities where the pharmacist, because he or she sees a patient five to seven times as often as anybody else, can really make a difference. Over 80% of the patients with diabetes see only family medicine docs, who can't afford to spend more than 8 minutes with each patient. So there are real opportunities for nurses, dietitians, and pharmacists to specialize in diabetes care.
R. Keith Campbell, RPh, CDE Pharmacist, Certified Diabetes
Educator Pullman, Wash
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Clearly, diabetes is a disorder that requires a lot of patient education regarding their medications. It's also very important regarding lifestyle issues, diet, exercise programs, and things like that. Certainly, we in our offices spend a lot of time reinforcing those sorts of lifestyle changes for patients. There is certainly a role for every professional in the health care system to participate in that sort of educational process and support.
In the care of diabetes, if that means that at the time [patients] are
picking up prescriptions from their pharmacy they get a little bit of
information, I think that's fine. 
Joshua Cohen, MD Endocrinology Washington, D.C.
TALK BACK: MAKING THE GRADE
Public school officials in Texas stirred up a firestorm when they proposed that students' body mass index (BMI) be included on report cards sent home to parents.
Bringing BMI to parents' attention is a key step in getting them to recognize the risks posed to their children by the burgeoning epidemic of overweight and obesity, according to school leaders. Some parents contend that including BMI in this way violates the privacy of students and exposes them to ridicule.
What do you think? Should BMI be included on school report cards?
Send your comments to docnews{at}diabetes.org.
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| DOC News | Diabetes | Diabetes Care | Clinical Diabetes | Diabetes Spectrum |
