May 1, 2023

Happy Pharmacy Week!Educate Before You Medicate -- Knowledge is the Best Medicine -- Talk With Your Pharmacist

What do Pharmacists do? • Pharmacists do more than count pills!

• We are the medication experts

• We play an essential role in the healthcare team

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What do Pharmacists do?

● Perform patient assessments such

as A1c and INR testing

● Initiate or modify medication

therapy based on patient response

● Interpret data to increase to

medication safety and effectiveness

● Adjust dose of medications based

on laboratory data

● Round with the healthcare team

● Identify barriers to patient

compliance 3

What do Pharmacists do? • Develop the hospital formulary

• Oversee drug administration

• Perform medication

reconciliations

• Provide education and

counseling to patients to reduce

medication-related issues

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What do pharmacy technicians do?

• Screen prescription orders for

accuracy and completeness

• Prepare IV medications and

compound medications

• Assist in the management of

investigational drug studies

• Manage the medication

automation systems

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Why are pharmacists important?

• “Medication expert”

• Optimize the patient’s

medication therapy

• Reduce medication errors

• Reduce adverse drug events

• Increase medication adherence

• Reduce healthcare cost and

hospital length of stay

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Fun facts!

• Coca-Cola was originally a cough syrup invented by a

pharmacist named John Pemberton

• Benjamin Franklin, one of the founding fathers of the United

States was a pharmacist

• Agatha Christie, a famous British crime novelist was a

pharmacy technician

• Lipitor is the best selling drug of all time generating more

than $125 billion in sale since its introduction in 1997

• Synthroid is the most commonly prescribed medication in the

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