FLAVORx Donating Pharmaceutical Flavoring Systems and Lab Exercises to Pharmacy Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy Across the U.S.
Future pharmacists are getting a taste of life in the real world with hands-on experience using the FLAVORx Flavoring System. Because so many pharmacies now provide the prescription flavoring service to improve medication adherence, today's pharmacy students, entering the field with a chain or independent pharmacy, will be asked to flavor medications. Recognizing this, FLAVORx is providing complete flavoring systems, comprehensive coursework and a flavoring lab at no cost to Colleges of Pharmacy and Pharmacy Schools.
Columbia, MD (PRWEB) July 1, 2009 - As the importance of well-trained pharmacy professionals, and pharmacists in particular, grows with the burgeoning health care needs of the country, so does the role of our nations Pharmacy Schools and Colleges of Pharmacy. Real-world, hands-on pharmacy practice lab exercises play a significant part in the training of our future pharmacists. To help ensure students have access to tools used in practice, FLAVORx is donating a flavoring system, complete curriculum on the physiology of taste, and flavoring lab exercise to Colleges of Pharmacy across the country. "Flavoring medications for better adherence and outcomes is a standard service in today's pharmacy" states Stuart R. Amos, President and CEO of FLAVORx. "Because most pharmacy students will encounter the practice of flavoring medications both during experiential learning and in clinical practice, it is our goal to give Pharmacy Schools all the necessary tools to educate their students in the art and science of flavoring. This will give them the knowledge and preparation they need to seamlessly perform this service in the pharmacy."
Custom flavoring offers pharmacists a unique opportunity to individualize medications dispensed to meet patients' taste preferences. Furthermore, in situations where a pediatric patient is involved, giving a choice of what flavor the medication can taste like provides an opportunity to involve the child in the decision-making process. This opportunity can not only impact adherence related to poor palatability but also further establish the patient-provider relationship by recognizing individual needs. "Taste is an important factor in pharmacy, especially for our pediatric patients," states Danielle Lavallee, PharmD, PhD, Director of Pharmacy Programs at FLAVORx. "Compounding medications due to the lack of appropriate formulations for the pediatric population and poor palatability for those medications in liquid form make adherence to these medications an issue."
The decision to create a flavoring lab came from previous invitations to teach flavoring labs in several Pharmacy Schools, in addition to requests for information on the product to incorporate it into teaching. "As a result of such positive feedback from students, we set out to create a universal flavoring lab so that every pharmacy student in the country was exposed to this element of pharmacy practice" states Lavallee.
To date, 25 Pharmacy Schools have received the donated systems and are planning to incorporate the exercise into their courses. Cydney E. McQueen, Clinical Associate Professor, Pharmacy Practice and Administration at the University of Missouri-Kansas City School of Pharmacy, intends to integrate FLAVORx in the third year Professional Skills Development III course that includes compounding and beginning counseling for both OTC and Rx products. "A number of our students are always planning on going back to rural Missouri or Kansas hometowns to own or work in independent pharmacies. Getting exposure to services that they could offer to improve patient care and differentiate their stores is a real benefit." Dr. McQueen also stated that the donation comes at an ideal time given budget-trimming, something common among all universities during current economic times.
If you are a pharmacy school administrator, and would like a FLAVORx system, complete curriculum and flavoring lab course donated to your College of Pharmacy, please visit the Pharmacy School page of the FLAVORx website and fill out the request form.
