October is National Pharmacists Month

National Pharmacist Month is here! As experts in medications, pharmacists provide important guidance to patients and physicians to promote safe, effective, and affordable medication use. Tria Health believes pharmacists are an integral part of every patient’s health care team. This month we’d like to take a moment to celebrate our talented pharmacy team!

What is National Pharmacist Month?

National Pharmacist Month takes place every October. During the month, pharmacists are honored throughout the country. The goal of this month is to recognize pharmacists for the significant role they play in effective medication management, patient education and overall medication safety.

Know Your Pharmacist, Know Your Medicine

For the whole month, the slogan “Know Your Pharmacist, Know Your Medicine,” is encouraged to the community. Pharmacists provide important information on medication regimens. A patient cannot know about the medication they take without first knowing their pharmacist. This slogan is a reminder for patients to interact with their pharmacist to learn more about the medicine they take.

Important questions to ask when getting to know your pharmacist:

1. What is this medication used for?

2. How should I use this medication?

3. What should I do if I miss a dose?

4. When will the medicine begin to work?

5. How will I know if the medicine is working?

6. What side effects should I watch for?

7. Is there anything I should avoid while taking this medication?

8. How should I store this medication?

How Can Pharmacists Help You?

Pharmacists can support your health by:

1. Talking with you about your medicine. They help minimize side effects and safeguard against any possible interactions with other medications that lead to more expensive health care costs such as emergency room visits, hospitalization, etc.

2. Verifying your physician’s medication instructions.

3. Providing guidance on preventative services: More than 300,000 immunization-trained pharmacists administer vaccines, and nearly one in four adults receive their influenza vaccinations at their community pharmacy?1 Pharmacists can provide guidance on all vaccine-preventable diseases and which immunizations are best for you.

4. Advising you on general health topics.

5. Increasing medication adherence. When you are medication adherent and compliant, you save money, healthcare resources, and have better health outcomes. Pharmacists can help you maintain medication adherence by regularly checking in on you to see how you are doing. It is difficult to manage multiple medications, so it is great to have pharmacists there to help. To learn more about the importance of medication adherence check out: http://triahealthblog.com/2020/10/05/the-benefits-of-medication-reminders-for-non-adherent-and-non-compliant-patients/

Tria Health’s Pharmacists

Tria Health was founded on the belief that pharmacists play a vital role in the management of high-risk patients that drive the majority of health care spend. If Tria Health is currently a part of your healthcare plan, call the Tria Health Help desk today for any of your medication-related questions.

Tria Help Desk: 1.888.799.8742

Sources:

1. http://67.222.18.91/~aphm/pharmacists-can-help/

2. https://www.pharmacist.com/know-your-pharmacist-know-your-medicine#:~:text=The%20updated%20slogan%E2%80%94%22Know%20Your%20Pharmacist%2C%20Know%20Your%20Medicine%22%E2%80%94reflects,know%20their%20medicine%20without%20first%20knowing%20their%20pharmacist.

3. https://caringpeopleinc.com/blog/american-pharmacists-month/#:~:text=National%20Pharmacist%E2%80%99s%20Month%20celebrates%20the%20accomplishments%20of%20pharmacists,to%20promote%20awareness%20and%20education%20on%20pharmacists%E2%80%99%20care.

4. https://www.nclnet.org/know_your_medicine_know_your_pharmacist

5. https://www.pharmacist.com/press-release/october-american-pharmacists-month

#NationalPharmacistMonth #KnowYourMedicine #KnowYourPharmacist #TriaHealth #Medicine