Advancing technology has really improved our efficiency and ability to do a pharmacist’s job, but unfortunately it overshadows a significant portion of the job which has traditionally been patient contact and care. In pharmacy school, we are trained in patient counseling, but today’s patients simply click “decline patient counseling” as a quick step in the check out process. Technology is wonderful in that it helps eliminate many of the tedious steps that infringe on our time as pharmacists. Theoretically, the more technology we have at the pharmacy, the more time we should have to spare to speak directly with our customers and build lasting relationships. Unfortunately this does not seem to be the case.

Understanding seasonal allergies is fundamental to effective allergy management. The more you understand the what, why, when, and where associated with seasonal allergies, the better you can counsel and educate parents and children about ways to help reduce allergy symptoms. The ALLERGY acrostic below is designed to highlight the important things you should know and remember about allergies, as you counsel and support your young customers and their families.

As a pharmacist and a mom, I understand the difficulty and the stress related to medication-time for children and parents from behind the counter, as well as in front of the counter. This dual perspective encourages me to empathize more with sick children and better understand and support frustrated parents.

Medication adherence is a multifaceted subject, and recognizing that gender may influence a patient’s level of adherence is frequently overlooked. According to an article, “Medication Adherence: Are Women Worse than Men at Taking Their Meds?" understanding how gender impacts a patients’ understanding of their health condition and the relative importance of taking their medication could help explain the gender gap related to medication adherence and help health care providers address barriers and develop patient education tools more appropriately.

Food for thought:  "A Taste of Your Own Medicine" may be a popular English idiom, but why not actually get to choose “a taste of your own medicine?”  The answer is that there is no real reason not to; in fact choosing the taste of your medicine is actually a more than reasonable request in today’s world.

I wanted to share an excerpt from a recent article I read titled "Letting Consumers Design Their Own Experiences: Case for the Mass Customization Model."l  Ted Mininni, President of Design Force, Inc. said something that really got me thinking.