A cup of tea,my pharmacist and me: Can extended communication make the difference?

Abstract

Objectives: This project sought to demonstrate that quality of medication use can be improved by extending the professional roles of hospital and community pharmacists acting in concert to select at-risk groups,and by adopting a team approach with other relevant healthcare practitioners each contributing to the pharmacist/patient interactive process. Implementation: The program included counselling of targeted or referred patients by the project pharmacist,prior to hospital discharge or in the community. Discretionary post-discharge home visits were implemented and the communication of discharge medication regimens to dispensing community pharmacists was a priority. The use of a medication record card was also promoted. Methods of providing pharmacy care in medication management in aged care facilities were explored. Medication education sessions were provided in the community setting. Data collected indicated that the majority of subjects stood to benefit from some form of pharmacy liaison intervention. Conclusion: The liaison pharmacist can promote quality assurance and cost-effective care through: Counselling of targeted patients before discharge or through home visits,preparation of discharge drug profiles,communicating with doctors and community pharmacists,promoting the simplest effective medication regimen,communicating with other healthcare workers and participation in medication education sessions.