Drug information resources in pharmacy practice

of Drug Information Resources in Pharmacy Practice 01 October 2006 When person goes to the pharmacy to purchase medicine prescribed by his physician, that little piece of paper contains vital information as to how much medication is needed and how much is to be taken or consumed. Such prescription when handed by a customer, goes to the Pharmacy Technician first, tasked to make sure the physician wrote the medication and directions down correctly. After which, inventory is to be checked for availability as well as finding out the category with which it belongs, whether controlled substance or over the counter. There are medications called C2 drugs that are highly addictive and therefore requires the Physician’s DEA number indicated in the prescription paper which identifies the Doctor and what hospital or clinic they affiliate themselves, this process is referred to as verifying the prescription. The prescription is then scanned and entered into the computer system followed by entering the prescription and the date. Through this can be achieved as it provides the capacity for the auditor to trace back for references on when the prescriptions was entered, and picked up. Such procedure is then followed by encoding the medication and the milligram determined by the doctor along with the details of the patient’s weight. Then you enter the quantity and ask the patient for their preference on whether they prefer proof caps on there medication or a standard cap. Determine if the patient wants to wait or come back by asking, in some conditions the patient wants to wait because of the urgency and the nature of their situation. Finally, and the most important thing to verify is to see if the insurance which the patient presented covers said provision and if it is refilled to soon. The pharmacist then prints the prescription and labels them with information such as location of the pharmacy, name of the patient and corresponding dosage. This label is then scanned on a special scanner that holds all the drug information in the system usually determined by the drug’s NDC number. By scanning the drug it pulls up the drug’s shape and or smell is, it likewise shows the color, numbers and symbols on the drug.
Therefore if this process is non existent in pharmacy management, the distribution and sale of prohibited drug would become widespread hence addiction or dependency in most likely to become rampant. It is thus important for drug information to become accessible to pharmacist because they are ones who make sure that the purchase, release, availability and use of drugs is accurate and proper, otherwise the first line of defense in safeguarding the proliferation of drug addiction and abuse will be futile. The knowledge about the drug and how they are utilized for therapeutic medication is very important because this assists health workers in managing the illness of their patients. The facts acquired from drug information allow for correct administration of medication and anticipate for symptoms of over dosage or prevention of side effects. It provides methods with which the side effects are alleviated, prevented or brought to a minimum. Imagine if health workers do not know anything about the drugs administered by the Physician to the patient, what and how would they respond if the patient asks them what the medication is for or what it does And if drug information were confined only to the curriculum taken by students who want to become doctors, how would ordinary illness like headache or muscle pain be alleviated without having to submit for doctor’s check up along with batteries of test to confirm physician’s diagnosis Wouldn’t this become to complicated for an ordinary working citizen/lay person to handle. The drug information provided through drug literatures enclosed in medicines we buy over the counter or shelves in pharmacies without prescription are made available because manufacturers wants their consumers to know how to administer the drug. Pharmacist who knows a great deal about this medication can also help clarify customer’s/consumer’s queries about it. On the other hand, knowing what effects drug have to individuals when improperly administered provides a stringent means to restrict potent drugs and thus avoid abuse. In effect, it will lower the instances where self medication poses danger to consumers.
In conclusion, I concur with the statement that advances the study of drugs is essential and that drug information should be readily available to pharmacist who are set to control the probability of lowering the incidence of drug abuse which continuous to plague the world. More often than not, the pharmacist are the easiest and fastest source information to ask should buyers/consumers conveniently wants to know what to take in ordinary non-lethal disease like muscle pain or tooth ache. They should be the right person to ask queries regarding a particular drug as their exposure and environment provides an excellent source of relevant information relative to medication.
Work Cited
US Dept. of Health and Human Services. National Clearinghouse for Alcohol and Drug
Information. (2005). ” Drug War Facts.”
American Pharmaceutical Association Academy of Students of Pharmacy – American
Association of Colleges of Pharmacy Council of Deans Task Force on Professionalism. White Paper on Pharmacy Student Professionalism.” Journal of the American Pharmacy Association. 40: 1 (2000): 96-100.