Celebrating Our Pharmacy Professionals and their Impact on the Care Continuum

October is a special month for the pharmacy industry as it celebrates the powerful impact pharmacy teams make across the care continuum. From hospitals to outpatient clinics and other healthcare settings, your contributions directly support patient and resident care.?

Observations during the month include:

• Senior Care Pharmacist Week – October 9-13
• National Women Pharmacist Day – October 12
• National Pharmacy Week – October 15-21
• Rx Tech Day – October 17

?Keep reading for insights on the impact of pharmacists on patient and resident care, and join the celebration!

Pharmacy and Its Impact on the Care Continuum

As healthcare professionals who are part of the interdisciplinary care team, pharmacists and pharmacy teams make a profound impact on patient and resident care. Their responsibilities extend beyond dispensing medications to provide the following types of support:?

• Medication Expertise: Being experts on medications, pharmacists can provide key information to patients and facility staff about medication interactions, side effects, dosage and adherence.
• Safety Advocacy: Throughout the dispensing process, pharmacists and pharmacy technicians support patient safety by carefully reviewing prescription orders and providing the necessary guidance to prevent medication errors.
• Education and Patient Empowerment: Pharmacists empower patients to take an active role in their healthcare through medication education, wellness and immunization screenings.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration: Pharmacists collaborate with other members of the interdisciplinary care team, such as doctors and nurses, to optimize treatment plans, especially for providing medication insights specifics to the drug and patient.

At MAC Rx, we are grateful for the incredible work our pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, and pharmacy staff do to ensure that facilities and residents receive the best pharmacy services possible. Today and every day, we celebrate you!

Sources:

• National Pharmacy Week: October 15–21, 2023 – ASHP
• Pharmacy Technician Day – ASHP
• Senior Care Pharmacist Week – ASCP
• Medication Reconciliation – Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses
• The Role of Community Pharmacists in Patient Safety – Patient Safety Network
• Pharmacists’ Impact on Patient Safety – American Pharmacists Association

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